I don't know a millimetre about Accel World!
by Tusjecht
Summary: In a new school, Gunsou struggles to fit in without his best friend. A girl begs for his help and gives him a mysterious program; far from helping him, Gunsou is thrown into duels with stakes he doesn't understand. Will he save himself and uninstall Brain Burst, or stand up for others? What surprises await him? Original characters only. Completed.
1. Prologue

**I don't know a millimetre about Accel World!**

...

* * *

 **Friday, April 1, 2039 AD**

* * *

"...and with that, I warmly welcome the new first-years to Mitsukihara Middle School! Class lists will be sent in a moment, and I trust that you will enjoy growing up into young men and women in this interconnected world!" The Student Council President finished his speech, and bowed slightly to his audience. Light applause followed as a sea of fresh faces nodded and clapped politely.

One boy in particular was hardly paying attention to the Student President's speech. As soon as the 'New Mail' icon lit up in the corner of his vision, he tapped on what appeared to be empty air. The Neuro Linker he wore around his neck responded swiftly, opening up the welcome letter sent to all new students. Gunsou Kihara skipped through everything else and went straight for the class lists, swiping downwards as fast as he could while scanning for his name. When he reached the bottom, he blinked in disbelief and his shoulders slumped.

He turned to a girl with radiant red hair seated besides him. "Misawa," he groaned, "We're not in the same class…"

"Oh, come on," she said, "It's not the end of the world!" Misawa reached over and scrolled through the list: 'Kitamura, Misawa' was placed under Class 1-A, and 'Kihara, Gunsou' had been placed in Class 1-B.

"Look, we're neighbours again! What a coincidence, haha!" she grinned, "Stop moping about it. There's some other people from our old school here too… Hey, isn't this the weirdo guy from G class…?"

Gunsou was barely listening. In his mind, the gods were laughing at him somewhere.

...

The day passed in typical forgettable fashion. The teacher was uninteresting, the girls were chatty, and the boys without friends stayed quiet. Gunsou made a note of the assigned readings - all twenty pages of it - and decided to go grab a snack from the canteen. Although he had only been given 500 yen for lunch, he had saved up some of his own money just in case he wanted some comfort food. All the stores were open and decorated with colourful banners, welcoming the new students, but he took little interest in them.

"Good afternoon... I would like, a... Uh, one warm beancurd please."

The aged stallholder smiled warmly, and scooped out a bowl of piping hot dessert for Gunsou. As he carefully brought the bowl back to an empty table, he briefly recalled his first day at elementary school: when a tall, reassuring figure had held his hand and bought him breakfast in school. After buying coffee for himself, he had shared a bowl of beancurd just like this with the young, 6-year-old Gunsou...

His hands curled into a fist. "No," he muttered to himself, "You're gone."

Pushing that old memory away, Gunsou began to eat, but then a shadow fell across his face and his food.

"Hello! Are you from my class? May I sit here?" A bright, cheery voice asked. Realising it wasn't Misawa, Gunsou glanced upwards: a girl. Smiling politely, her hair in a side ponytail and tied with a flower decoration. Gunsou seemed to recall that she was from his class this afternoon, but couldn't remember her name for the life of him.

"...Yeah, I am. Er.. Go ahead, there's no one sitting here."

In fact, the canteen only had a handful of people apart from the girl and Gunsou. Of all the empty tables that were available, this girl had picked his one. Why? Gunsou kept his eyes down, not really wanting to have to entertain a conversation.

An awkward moment passed. "...Uh, so," the girl said, "Which school were you from?"

"Hamada Elementary." Gunsou replied, "It's close to where I live."

"Oh? Isn't that on the other side of town?" She asked.

Gunsou shook his head. "No it isn't, you're probably confusing it with another school. A lot of them have merged or changed names; it might be confusing."

The girl nodded in understanding. "Ahh, I'm sorry about that. I'm not quite familiar with the city yet, because I just moved here from Hokkaido last year."

Gunsou nodded silently. _I'm not going to pretend I know any better than her_ , he thought.

"Ah- I haven't introduced myself!" she giggled nervously. "I'm Mikiseki. Gekkagawa Mikiseki. N-Nice to meet you...?"

"Kihara," Gunsou said. "I'm Gunsou Kihara. Nice to meet you too."

"'Kihara'? How do you write that?" Mikiseki asked.

"Well, um..." Gunsou thought, "You just take the word for 'tree' and 'source' and put them together for my family name. And my first name is just the words for 'group' and 'strength.'"

Mikiseki traced the letters in midair. "Kihara... Gunsou... That's a nice name you have there! Your parents were very thoughtful people, weren't they?"

Gunsou felt his cheeks colour a little. "Y-Yeah, they were."

A moment passed. Gunsou looked from side to side, wondering if he should say something. "H-Hey, what about your name-?"

He never got to finish his question. Just as he spoke, a familiar figure appeared besides them. "Oi, Gunsou!" Misawa snapped, "I thought you were going to meet after class!"

"I was hungry!" Gunsou said, "And you didn't reply my text or anything, so..."

"Oh well, it's fine," Misawa sighed, and eyed the half-eaten cup of beancurd. "I'm taking the rest, then!"

Mikiseki watched wide-eyed at the casual manner in which Misawa sat down next to Gunsou, and asked, "Are you two... friends?"

"Yeah," they replied together. "This dude over here," Misawa jerked a thumb towards Gunsou, "Lives next to me. We went to elementary school together."

"Ah, so you must be real close then! I have a few childhood friends too, but unfortunately they're all back home..." Mikiseki said sadly.

"'Back home?'" Misawa asked, "Did you move here from somewhere?"

Mikiseki smiled fondly. "Yes! I moved here from Hokkaido just a few months ago..."

The girls erupted into noisy chatter while Gunsou mourned his empty bowl. Not that he really minded, but he had bought it with his savings. He propped his chin on his hand and stared out the window for what seemed like an age, on the first evening of the school year.

...

"So, Gunsou, how was school?"

Her fingers poked at what appeared to be empty air as she spoke, tapping numbers and names into a spreadsheet. Gunsou's mother, Mayumi Kihara, sat across from him on the dining table while they finished up their simple dinner.

"Uh... Good, I guess," Gunsou said. "The teachers seem friendly. They talk to everyone."

Mayumi snorted. "They're doing their job, Gunsou. Every teacher has to make their class score well in the exams. They will be friendly, they will help you with homework, they'll do anything short of writing the answers themselves because it's so difficult now. Trust me, I was your age once and I know what it feels like. Listen to them, ask them questions, get a head start! Make me proud and get some good results, won't you?"

Gunsou rolled his eyes. Every night during dinner, his mother would without fail remind him that she 'knew' what it was like to be a teenager, and therefore should listen to her advice on what to do in life. He didn't want her advice now when he had no need for it, and especially when it wasn't particularly useful advice to begin with.

She swiped through the air to close her work, and removed a white Neuro Linker from her neck. "Goodness, using this thing gives me headaches. Aren't you lucky you got one of those when you were born?" She pointed at Gunsou's Neuro Linker, still on his neck. "In my time, we had no high-tech gadgets like that! We were still using landlines for the Global Net connection, mind you. Don't you think you're lucky?"

Gunsou swallowed a mouthful of food in silence and nodded his head. Mayumi looked on her son with a look of approval, and patted his head.

"Eat, enjoy your mother's cooking. It's rare I get to cook at home, or at least not since your _father_ left..." she nearly spat out the word. Gunsou's skin crawled and his stomach lurched. This was another one of those evenings. He had no excuses that could free him from the dining table. As quickly as he dared, Gunsou reached for the remaining porridge and began to gulp it down.

Mayumi sighed and drew her head back. "You know, your father asked me to pay the bills myself again. Look at this!" she gestured at the Neuro Linker, "This morning, knowing full well I have to fetch you to school, he decided to send me yet another reminder to use our joint account to pay. But didn't I tell you before? I contributed all the money in that account. What right does he have to call that money his, just because he made a few tiny deposits? Nothing, I say, nothing!"

The porridge was going to burn his tongue if he ate any faster. Gunsou slurped some soup and glanced at the clock: 8:00PM.

His mother threw up her hands in exasperation. "I did so much for your father, and this is how he repays me. Tell me, Gunsou, did your mother do anything to deserve this?"

"Huh? Uh, yeah, I guess." Just as he put down the bowl of soup, Gunsou's mind suddenly realised the grave error he had made.

"What did you _say_?" Mayumi snarled. Gunsou's hands trembled, and his spoon fell to the table with a clatter.

"No, I mean, I didn't mean to say that, I was-" he stammered. But then The Volcano had erupted: Mayumi stood up, knocking her chair over.

"'Yeah?' You mean I _do_ deserve this?!" she shrieked, "Who do you think you are?!"

"Mum, I'm sorry!" Gunsou cried, "I was, uh, I wasn't-"

"How dare you side with him! I'm your _mother_ , do you understand? Everything I do is for your welfare, and you- repay- me- with such- ungratefulness-"

 _Slap, slap, slap_. With every word, Mayumi hit her son with her palm. _Slap, slap_ , she knocked him off his chair.

"OUT!" she screamed, "GET OUT!"

Gunsou scurried out the door, not even bothering to put on shoes. A mighty _WHAM!_ shattered the night, and then all was still and quiet again.

He slowly got to his feet, shaking. A fear of not being able to return home lingered, but his hands slowly clenched into fists.

 _I messed up,_ he thought. _Should have listened more carefully to her._

 _And none of this would have happened if Dad hadn't left us._

His fingernails dug into his palms and he ground his teeth. In his head, Gunsou began to count: _One, two, three, four._ He slowly released his clenched fists.

 _Five, six, seven, eight_. He relaxed his jaw, and took deeper breaths.

 _Nine._ The world is not going to end tonight. Everything is going to be alright.

 _Ten._

He clasped his hands and cracked his knuckles. Gunsou looked at his front door again; while the door lock merely required his passcode to open, he wasn't entirely sure if it was okay to go back.

Fortunately, there was another option. He looked to his left, at a wooden door decorated with paper flowers. They were dusty, but the bright colours and glitter danced in the light, beckoning him to knock. When he was sure that he was calm, Gunsou brought his hand up to touch the doorbell.

There was no noise, of course, when he touched it. Doorbells today transmitted a notification to the occupant's Neuro Linker. And barely a second later, the door swung open.

A familiar sight warmly greeted his eyes. "What's up?" Misawa asked.

"Err..." Gunsou stammered, "I think... I think you heard it."

"Damn right I did. Come on in and let's hear about your FU." Leaving the door open, Misawa spun around and headed inside. Dusting his feet on the doormat, Gunsou hurried inside and gently closed the door.

...

"...And that's why I'm out here," Gunsou threw up his hands, "I messed up."

Misawa, on the other hand, was muffling her laughter into a blanket. "You had it coming, honestly. You wanna bet she's going to disown you the next time?"

"Misawa!"

"I'm kidding."

The two children were in Misawa's room. It was lit with soft yellow light from her bedside lamp, where Misawa was lying down. Gunsou was sitting on the floor, a cup of warm water besides him. Around him, the walls were decorated with drawings, posters of singers and boy bands, and next to the lamp itself was Misawa's apple-red Neuro Linker, charging on its dock.

Her room was their playground and study. Tonight, it was also their sanctuary. As a child, Gunsou had often been left to be babysat by Misawa's mother, and naturally Misawa became his best friend. He would bet no small sum that he had played more in her room that he had in his. In fact, his room was right next to hers, separated by a rather thin wall. They used to knock gently before their bedtime to tell the other it was their bedtime.

"Honestly, Gunsou, there's nothing you can do except to apologise. It was your fault you didn't listen, this isn't the first time even! Your mother is mad and you have to not do that." Misawa said.

Gunsou nodded. "I know. And... Well, sorry for telling you this, I guess."

"Don't worry," Misawa waved her hand dismissively, "I'm happy you came over, in fact! Can you help me with something?"

"What is it?"

Misawa reached into her drawer and pulled out a bottle. Shaking it, it appeared to be filled with a dark fluid.

"Help me dye my hair."

After fifteen minutes of fumbling with the plastic glove, spreading the dye poorly, and nearly dropping the bottle at one point, Gunsou finally got the hang of dyeing hair. He carefully combed the dye across her scalp, making sure it was evenly distributed, and then used the brush to spread it up. With gloves of her own, Misawa spread the dye to the ends of her radiant red hair, until it was uniformly black.

Apparently, her teacher had disapproved of her in her very first lesson, and told her 'to mind the way she attired herself.' Nothing else was wrong with Misawa's uniform, so the only explanation was that he was offended by her natural hair colour. And even though the principal himself had no particular objection, he had eventually supported his colleague when Misawa brought up the matter to him. This left her with no choice but to dye her hair.

Trying to take her mind off the subject, Misawa asked Gunsou, "So, who was that girl you were talking to earlier?"

"Huh? Oh, um," Gunsou said, "She's a classmate, I think. I don't really know her that much."

"She laid out half her life story before us, and you don't really know her that much?" Misawa snarked. "Does deafness run in your family?"

"I was actually wondering how much could I charge you for stealing my beancurd."

"Your head is about as empty as the bowl afterwards, I swear," Misawa scoffed. "She told us she moved from Hokkaido, and has hardly any friends here. She thought she recognised you at first, but it turned out to be a mistake."

"Uh huh." Gunsou carefully moved the comb through a knot of hair. "No wonder she wanted to sit with me."

"Sure the name 'Mikiseki' doesn't ring any bells? Hmm?"

"No, I don't know her," Gunsou huffed, "I've never seen her before in my life."

"If you said you never heard her, I'd believe you." Misawa quipped. She giggled as Gunsou bopped her on her shoulder in retaliation.

"What kind of a name is 'Mikiseki' anyway?" he said, "It's so weird! Doesn't sound like any kanji we've learnt."

"Ah, she said so earlier too. Her family name is written as 'River Under the Moon,'" Misawa traced the words in midair, "And her first name is basically, 'Beautiful Miracle.' Someone either sucks at naming girls, or has really high hopes pinned on her."

"Strange indeed," Gunsou shrugged. "Alright, that's the last of it. Just left with the ends..."

As he put aside the empty bottle, he caught a strong whiff of the chemical dye and wrinkled his nose. "I'm going to miss your old hair, Misawa," Gunsou said.

"Me too." she murmured softly.

Looking at her reflection in the mirror, Gunsou could hardly recognise his childhood friend. The black hair was still wet with dye and left streaks on his forearms. It reached down to Misawa's shoulders and threatened to make a mess of the white towel she had put over her shoulders.

"That's all, thanks for helping me out. You'd better get back," Misawa added, as she glanced at the bathroom clock. "It's almost your bedtime."

Gunsou nodded and yawned. The fatigue was straining his back with the prolonged period of standing. He tugged off the plastic glove and tossed it into the dustbin, but something tugged at his mind before he could leave.

"Misawa, I..." he began. This close to her, he momentarily forgot what he was about to say as he locked gazes with her warm brown eyes.

"Umm... Thank you, I-I'm really grateful you were here to listen to me. I-I'll try to talk to her later, okay-?" he stammered.

Misawa gently patted his shoulder. "It's alright. Everything's going to be okay," She said as she smiled softly. Her warm hand squeezed his shoulder tightly.

...

The house was dark when he entered. Gunsou sniffed - he caught a hint of cheap Sapporo beer.

His mother was asleep in her room, the moonlight falling across her face. An empty can dangled precariously from her fingertips. Moving on autopilot, Gunsou carefully plucked the can from her grasp and left to toss it in the trash can. Another empty can was already inside it.

Going back to his mother's room, his throat suddenly felt dry. What should he say? Would his mother even be in the mood to listen to his apology? What if she was actually dead drunk?

He resolved to do the next best thing: closing her curtains, he adjusted the air conditioner and pulled her comforter over her. As bravely as he could, he said in a small voice, "Goodnight, Mum."

If she heard it, there was no indication that she did. Gunsou left her room to go shower and get ready for bed.

The time was 10:30PM when he laid down in on his squeaky spring mattress. _Would she be awake,_ he wondered. He brought up his knuckles and knocked softly on the wall: two knocks, a pause, and then two more knocks. _Goodnight, Misawa._

Three seconds passed before three knocks sounded. _Tap, tap tap._

 _Goodnight, Gunsou._

Gunsou smiled. He turned over and closed his eyes.

...

 **to be continued.**

...

Author's notes:  
Hello everyone, I'm Tusjecht, and thank you for reading the first chapter of _I don't know a millimetre about Accel World!_

I began writing this because I have been having second thoughts about how the story began in my first iteration. A friend taught me that a tragic backstory doesn't and won't work if your character isn't believable. When he isn't believable, there's no connection between the reader and the story. The message he's trying to tell will become lost in translation.

So here's my new attempt at writing an original story within Accel World's universe. I want to connect with the reader about real issues children face, and to show that in our story, it isn't only the game that drives the story. There would be nothing interesting about a character who goes around winning every duel he fights if his problems in real life are never talked about or worse, non-existent.

Here's to a touching story and an emotional read. I hope to update soon, and in the meantime, please let me know what you think of this fanfic. See you soon!

-Tusjecht


	2. Brain Burst

**Brain Burst**

.

* * *

 **Tuesday, April 12, 2039 AD**

* * *

A week had passed since school had begun. The boring routine of lessons had begun to set in for Gunsou, and as the teacher droned on during one such period, he opened a simple drawing program and began to sketch. Gunsou was no artist, obviously. But as he started off with a lazily-drawn oval, he blinked, then filled in the oval with a honeycomb pattern. A tap here, filling in the cells with colour, and Gunsou finished. He thought it looked like the shell of a tortoise, and reached to add more detail to it.

"...unsou?"

He blinked. The whole class was staring at him with an awkwardly outstretched hand! In the front, the Science teacher, Mrs Yukizuka frowned severely and brought a hand up to her glasses.

"First-year student Gunsou Kihara," she said in a nasal voice, "What is the the name of the experiment that disproved the plum pudding model of the atom?"

"Err, uh," Gunsou stammered as he quickly glanced at his notes. Mrs Yukizuka's eyebrows drew so close together that they looked like they might spontaneously fuse. "The... The Rutherford gold-foil experiment."

"Obviously it is," she said, looking away after a second. "Now, the analysis of the results was the foundation for our modern understanding of the atom..."

Gunsou sighed in relief. He should really stop this bad habit of his; first his mother, now his teacher. Who knows what would happen if he continued...

 _Ding!_ A notification popped up in the corner of his vision; someone had sent him a message! Clicking on it, Gunsou opened it and read:

[Mikiseki]: _Hey, are you okay?_

Gunsou's eyes widened and he glanced towards Mikiseki's seat. A few tables away, the petite girl was looking over at him, concern written all over her expression. When he blinked, Mikiseki's gaze flicked from side to side, before she turned back to look at Mrs Yukizuka. Wondering why exactly she would text him in class, Gunsou slowly typed in his reply.

[Gunsou]: _Yeah, I'm fine. There's nothing to worry about._

[Mikiseki]: _Okay. Pay attention in class, will you?_

' _You sound an awful lot like my mother,_ ' Gunsou thought. He slid his chair in and sat a little straighter, staying that way until class ended.

...

"Do you play games, Gunsou?" Mikiseki asked.

The two of them were having lunch at a table with their classmates. While everyone was having a fun time eating, drinking, and fooling around with their friends, Mikiseki sat close to Gunsou while they ate quietly.

"Games? Er... Not many," Gunsou lied. "I play some music rhythm games though, y'know, those where you have to tap the buttons in time with the music."

"Oh, I see! Those sure look hard to play, though!" she said. Although her tone was casual, her expression didn't quite seem to match her words. To Gunsou, it sounded like one of those questions his mother asked to get him to reveal something. He figured there was no harm if he told a white lie:

"...But during the holidays, I tried a few multiplayer games, I guess. It was really hard and I gave up after trying a little bit."

"Do you play fighting games?" she asked. Just as Gunsou was about to reply, she looked up at him, locked gazes and slowly tilted her head to the side. And then, she _winked_.

This was no friendly gesture, even if he was actually friends with her. Mikiseki smiled in such a way that made the hair of his head stand and his spine tingle a little.

"Uh, no! Not a lot, really," he said. "I actually, uh, stopped playing those because my mother didn't like me playing those games." It was technically not a lie, Gunsou had merely been told off for being interested in the advertisement for one of those games. He looked from side to side, trying to break off the conversation.

Still smiling, Mikiseki continued to hold eye contact with him until she finally seemed to relax. "Ah, I see," she said, "I'm just curious about something."

"What was that about?" Gunsou asked, "Was that some kind of interrogation or something?"

"No, no, nothing of the sort," Mikiseki continued to eat as she said, "But perhaps I can introduce to you a new game?"

Gunsou raised a single eyebrow in silence. Mikiseki took a sip of water and cleared her throat:

"It's a Full-Dive fighting game. It's new and not many people have begun playing it, and I was wondering if you'd be interested in playing."

Full-Dive was a state in which one enters the virtual world with the Neuro Linker. Gunsou was no stranger to the term, since he had played simple arcade games with Misawa, and sometimes used Full-Dive to teach himself homework. But when playing games in Full-Dive, your real body was left immobile and unreactive to external stimuli; often in the past, Gunsou had been caught playing such games when he was supposed to be sleeping.

"What is it called? Where can I see the website for it?" he said after some deliberation.

"No, you can't download it like that," Mikiseki said, "Like I said, it's new. You can only give it to other people by Direct Connection."

"D-Direct Connection?" Gunsou gaped at her, "B-By connecting to another person's... Their Neuro Linker?" Mikiseki nodded in response.

"No way!" Gunsou replied, "I don't want to! What kind of game is that?"

At his refusal, Mikiseki's shoulders drooped and she stuck out her lower lip in a pout. "You... Don't want to Direct Connect with me? Why? You don't like me?"

"B-But isn't Direct Connecting is only for family members? It's not like we know each other very well..." Gunsou trailed off. He suddenly became aware that the whole table had fallen silent. Every eye was either upon him or Mikiseki - and her eyes were slowly welling up with tears!

"What the-" he exclaimed, "Guys, this isn't what it seems like-!"

"GUNSOU AND MIKISEKI ARE FIGHTING!" someone hollered, "THEY LIKE EACH OTHER!"

Gunsou cradled his head in his hands. "Gods have mercy on me," he mumbled.

...

There were ten minutes to go before class finished. Gunsou opened up his mail and quickly wrote a message:

[Gunsou]: _Okay, fine. Please direct connect with me and send me the game._

It was more out of guilt than anything. He couldn't bear to hear the rumours that he had supposedly turned her 'confession' down and made her cry. ' _As if people confess in a crowded canteen on the first week of school!_ ' he thought.

[Mikiseki]: _Really? You'll do it?_

Gunsou hesistated for a minute. Really, was he only covering for himself, or did he actually want to play this game?

[Gunsou]: _Yes_.

They met in the school's library after class, and headed to the Recreational section. It seemed to be favoured for students who just wanted to relax and read books, because the air-conditioned space had several large beanbags, a carpet, and even a small charging dock for Neuro Linkers. Sitting down on a large green beanbag, Mikiseki reached into her pocket and withdrew a small black cable. She unravelled it and plugged one side into her Neuro Linker, and held out the other end to Gunsou.

"Hey Gunsou, I'm just curious, but do you know how to thought-speak? You know, to talk over a Connection with just your thoughts?"

Gunsou nodded. Hesitantly, he accepted the other end of the meter-long cable and connected it into his Neuro Linker's charging port. A warning popup flashed briefly, indicating he was Directly Connected to Mikiseki.

"Ah, it works!" Mikiseki 'spoke' through the connection with her thoughts. Despite having the same cadence and pitch as her spoken voice, Mikiseki's lips hadn't budged; she was probably very used to speaking like this. Gunsou still would move his lips out of habit whenever he tried to thought-speak.

"Now then, I'll give you the game to download. I promise you, it'll be something you'll _never_ forget!" Mikiseki grinned and typed into her Neuro Linker. Her fingers danced in the air, and then a window appeared in Gunsou's vision: a program called 'BB2039' was being transferred to him.

"What's the title of the game called?" Gunsou asked. He watched as the progress bar filled at a snail's pace; with today's cutting-edge technology, it would mean that the game had a really huge file size.

"It's called 'Brain Burst,'" Mikiseki said. "It's a unique fighting game that models itself after the real world. Say, you see the camera there?" She pointed at a small, nondescript, black hemisphere set into the wall of the library. It was one of a veritable million scattered throughout the country and part of the Social Security Camera system, designed to help keep the peace with a dwindling police force - or so Gunsou had read. The presence of these little black half-orbs looked like spider eyes to him, watching and recording his every move.

"What about them? Do you mean this game is made by the government?" he asked.

Mikiseki shook her head. "No, this game borrows the data of the Camera network to reconstruct its virtual reality. It can make any stage from the environment as long as you're within Japan."

Gunsou frowned. "So... You're kind of fighting in real life? Is this game safe?"

"It's a FullDive game, it's perfectly safe!" she nodded in assurance. "Don't forget that the Neuro Linker does have safeguards to protect you!"

The progress bar was only three-quarters filled. Knowing that Mikiseki could probably hear his thoughts, Gunsou kept his mind free from thoughts and fiddled with a corner of the beanbag.

Why did Mikiseki want to give him this game so badly? Was it that she wanted something from him? A nagging feeling told Gunsou that Mikiseki was keeping something from him, but what if she was going to tell him later? Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw Mikiseki staring at him in an oddly intimate way. She was leaning on the beanbag, resting her head a cushion while she looked at him in the same way one might look at... at their _crush._ Her cheeks had a slight tint of colour to them, and try as he might, Gunsou couldn't hear any thoughts from Mikiseki; she was keeping her thoughts privately from Gunsou, just as he was from her.

He wondered if there was some merit to the possibility that Mikiseki was giving him this game because she wanted an excuse to get closer to him. Maybe he only looked like someone close to her in the past, and she was merely using him as a substitute. The thought made him blush momentarily and shift his seated position to face away from her. In the air-conditioned room, he sorely felt like sleeping, but the presence of an unfamiliar girl so close to him was deeply unsettling.

"It's done," Mikiseki finally said. "Now, just wait a moment... It should start soon..."

Gunsou was just about to open his mouth and ask just what 'it' was, when the room burst into flames.

...

"Huh? You haven't seen Gunsou?" Misawa gaped.

The boy looked up from the table he was wiping and shook his head. "No, he and a girl left after class finished today. It's not like they're on duty to clean today either, so whatever." He shrugged and went back to his tables, while several other boys turned away from her to resume cleaning classroom 1-B.

"Where could he be..." Misawa muttered to herself. She had expected him to be somewhere outside her classroom like he had the last week, but when she finished her cleaning duties, he was nowhere to be found, and certainly not on cleaning duty either. A text she sent had gone unanswered, even though he had received it. She chewed on her tongue, wondering just where had he run off to, and left the classroom. ' _A girl, huh?_ ' she thought, _'Maybe I have an idea who she is...'_

...

Mikiseki frantically waved her hands to stop Gunsou from crying out in shock. "It's okay!" she said, "It's just an image. Those flames aren't real."

The initial shock wore off for Gunsou, and he slowly relaxed his shoulders. "What was that all about?"

"It's a reaction speed checker," she explained hurriedly, "The faster your speed, the better your natural aptitude at the game is. There's a lot of terms you'd need to know, and I don't know how to explain them..."

Catching sight of Gunsou's frown, Mikiseki chuckled nervously and said, "Well, it looks like it worked! Now let me teach you the first thing about this game..."

"How long will the tutorial take?" Gunsou asked, "If it's too long, can I just go home and play?"

"Tutorial? No, Gunsou, there's no tutorial for this game," Mikiseki grinned, "Just you and me. Let me teach you the voice command to start the game: ' _Burst Link_.' Come, say it with me!"

Somehow, Gunsou felt like there was no turning back from this point. But did he have anything to lose anyway?

"B-Burst Link." he stammered.

 ** _SLAM!_ ** The world turned blue and froze before his eyes!

As though a blue filter had been pasted over his eyes, everything was instantly dyed in varying shades of electric blue. Mikiseki's face and hands too, turned into a blue statue of herself on a blue beanbag. It _looked_ very cool, but how did he actually play the game?

Gunsou blinked and realised he was no longer sitting down. He was standing up, and seemed to be in his online avatar - besides a change of clothes, nothing else stood out in particular about his avatar. With the school editor, some people chose simple animals, boys took costumes of characters from fables, and girls...

Gunsou's jaw dropped when he spotted Mikiseki.

Her online avatar was _beautiful_. Her hair was long and fluttered in an unseen wind, billowing in time with her lush, leaf-green dress. With one hand, Mikiseki tilted up her wide-brimmed hat, revealing a garland of small white flowers she was wearing around her neck. Her delicate fingers played over a menu with the grace of a dancer, and in the luminscent blue world they were in, her skin shone bright like a full moon.

He was so transfixed by her appearance, he only realised he was staring when Mikiseki blinked. Coughing, he turned away. Mikiseki giggled to herself and said, "Gunsou! I can see from here that you're blushing!"

"...I'm sorry." Even in the virtual world, Gunsou couldn't bear to face her. Looking at Mikiseki was like a blind man seeing the sun for the first time. Even now, his heart was still pounding; he counted to five in his head, willing himself to calm down.

"Are you okay? Mikiseki asked. "Are you feeling unwell?"

"No," Gunsou finished his count and turned to look at her, "I'm okay. But, what's this blue world? Are we already in the game?"

Mikiseki shook her head. "No. We don't play in here. It's just a space to do other work, but it itself is fully half the reason the game exists." She walked around the blue mockup of the library, Gunsou following a few steps behind her.

"You see? The library has Social Security Camers within it, so every detail is mapped and rendered as part of the blue world." She said.

"Are we the only ones here? Can other people come into this space?" Gunsou prodded at some books, and discovered that they were hard and as unyielding as stone.

"Yes, and no," Mikiseki said, "The two of us are here together only because we're Directly Connected. If you and I were to 'Accelerate' at the same time, I wouldn't see you even if I was right next to you in the real world."

She continued to talk as she strolled down the library aisles. "The world has not really frozen, of course. It's a virtual environment created by the Social Security Camera. Brain Burst borrows the images taken by the Camera in real-time and uses it to create the blue world we're in. And look - only the two of us are moving here."

Gunsou followed her gaze and realised she was correct. Nearby, a boy was turning a page in his book, but the page was absolutely vertical in mid-turn. It was as though someone had hit the 'pause' button on real life. He came closer to the book, and as he stared at it, he saw the page moving, inching forwards at a snail's pace as though... As though...

"...It's not that time has frozen," he murmured to himself, "But it's faster for us? Mikiseki, what's happening?"

She smiled warmly at him; it was difficult to maintain eye contact with her beauty. "Yup, you're absolutely right! Whenever we 'Accelerate,' we're actually speeding up our mind by a thousand times. Everything else with reference to us moves a thousand times slower. Look over there at the people walking!"

It was even more apparent outside. People were frozen mid-step, their mouths open in conversation. But when Gunsou looked around, he came face-to-face with a very familiar person. Even with her raven hair, there was no mistaking her sharp features and the look of confidence Gunsou had always known her for.

Misawa was frozen in time, walking towards the entrance of the library. Her hands were lightly clenched, and when he thought long and hard about the way she was walking, he realised she was briskly walking towards the library.

"Oh darn," he gasped. His messaging app seemed to run normally even in this blue world; opening it, he realised Misawa had sent him three messages in the span of ten minutes, and he had failed to reply to all of them.

"How long does this... This state of acceleration last, Mikiseki?" he asked, "It's not going to last forever, is it?"

"That's the other half of Brain Burst, unfortunately," she nodded. "Acceleration is not free; look at the 'B' icon on your desktop, and click it. Oh, and careful, it'll play a message when you first open it-"

 **WELCOME TO THE ACCELERATED WORLD!**

Fiery letters in a steampunk-esque font filled his vision. Thanks to Mikiseki's advice, he wasn't fazed by it, and instead concentrated on the new menu options that had appeared. At her instructions, he finally made a window materialise before him:

[Burst Points remaining: 99]

"See, it costs you Points to accelerate. Every usage of 'Burst Link' costs one Point, and other commands cost more. And the only way to earn more points back is to fight other players." she explained.

"Okay, that's cool, I guess," Gunsou said, "How and where do I start?"

"You can't." Mikiseki said flatly.

Gunsou did a double take. "What do you mean, I can't?"

"You can't play the game yet, Gunsou. You just can't. Look at your 'Profile' tab, it's blank! The game only gives you an avatar to use after tonight."

Gunsou frowned and looked back at the frozen image of Misawa. "Come on, won't a regular online avatar do as well? I said I wanted to play when I go home today!"

"No, you can't." Mikiseki's eyes glinted and she shook her head, "How many times do I have to tell you? It's just not possible! Brain Burst is a game that-"

"That what?" Gunsou snarled. His hands were shaking and he clenched them to try and stop it. "What else needs to be done, huh?"

A small part of Gunsou screamed at him to apologise and ask for forgiveness; he had no intention of being mean to Mikiseki from the bottom of his heart. But the intimidating presence of Misawa was drawing closer with every millisecond, virtual world or not.

"Let's see. You've asked me to Direct Connect to you, listen to you talking for ten minutes, and on top of that, you embarrassed me big-time in the canteen earlier!" Gunsou said, "And even now, you're telling me the game can't be played yet? What's up with that? Actually, what's up with you?"

If online avatars could sweat, Gunsou might have soaked his shirt through by now. Only adrenaline and fear drove him to keep talking, aggravating an already bad situation.

"What do you want from me?" he said. "I hardly know you at all! I don't feel like I should listen to whatever you tell me to do just because we're classmates and know each other's names?"

"Look!" she finally snapped, "I'm telling you all this so that you don't have to learn it yourself! You think this game was easy? That you won't ever lose a duel? You don't know what you're stepping into, so please listen to me! I'm telling you all this for your own good!"

Gunsou choked in derision; she _really_ did sound like his mother. "Oh? This is for my sake? Well, let me tell you something else, Mikiseki," he walked right up to her avatar and stared directly into her eyes.

It was either sheer bravery or outright fear that kept him from stuttering. Gunsou figured he had already hurt Mikiseki enough - one more bit can't hurt.

"I already know what I need to do - _uninstall this useless game!_ "

He turned on his heel and walked away. He scrolled through his menu, looking for an option to logout - and then someone caught him from behind.

"What the-!" he exclaimed as a pair of snow-white arms threw themselves around him. Realising it was Mikiseki, he instantly flushed bright red in embarrassment. "Mikiseki, what are you doing?"

"Don't," she cried, "Don't do it!"

Guilt flooded the pit of his stomach. It was impossible, and yet it was so - Mikiseki was crying! What was his mistake, and what would he have to do to apologise?

"I've only got this one chance to prove myself," Mikiseki sobbed into his back, "They won't let me play anymore if I didn't bring in someone new!"

"Who's 'they'? Why do they want you to get me to play?" A whirlwind of emotions and thoughts fought for centre stage in Gunsou's head while he tried to digest this. Mikiseki was actually being forced to invite him?

"Please, Gunsou, do what you want, but please promise me something?" Mikiseki let him go from the awkward hug, and wiped some tears from her face. They ran down her lovely face and evaporated into droplets of light. Out of confusion and regret, Gunsou turned to face her, but kept his head down and fixed his eyes on her feet. _Her avatar is barefoot_ , he realised.

"I just need you to wear your Neuro Linker for one night. Just one night is enough for you to understand, okay?" Mikiseki pleaded.

"Err, okay then, I'll-" he said.

"Promise me." Mikiseki insisted. "Pinky swear that you'll listen to me one more time today." she held out her outstretched finger, waiting for his response. Gunsou brought up his hand, but hesistated.

It didn't sound right. This was a game that apparently needed a night before it could play, somehow could use the government's Social Camera system, and grant the ability to 'accelerate' his mind, and then someone was threatening Mikiseki to get him to try it. Something didn't quite add up for Gunsou.

But as he looked at Mikiseki's tear-stained face, the pangs of regret resonated deeply within him. He was only confused and angry that she was acting so secretive about matters. If Misawa asked him for help, he would drop everything and rush to her, so why couldn't he spare some effort for Mikiseki? If only she had told him that she was under duress, he should at least try to help her!

He took hold of Mikiseki's outstretched finger with his own pinky, and gripped hers softly. "Deal," he murmured, "I'll keep it on for one night. And... I'm sorry, Mikiseki."

She nodded lightly and wiped her eyes. "No, I'm sorry that I made you misunderstand. Go on ahead if you're busy; the command to logout is called 'Burst Out.'"

The world returned to normal the instant Gunsou spoke the command. Without a second thought, he unplugged Mikiseki's cable from his Neuro Linker, and bid her goodbye. Passing a tall senior as he walked, he made it to the entrance of the library just as Misawa walked in.

"There you are!" she exclaimed, 'Where have you been? I sent you three messages asking where were you, and this is where you're holed up at? Really?"

An odd sense of relief flooded Gunsou from head to toe. "I'm sorry, Misawa," he bowed his head, "I was tired and fell asleep in the library. It would have been bad to sleep in class while the others were cleaning, so..."

The lie rolled off his tongue easily as he appeased his friend. Misawa sighed and facepalmed herself. "You're an idiot, I swear. Let's catch the bus back, then you can sleep all you want, okay?"

"Okay."

Contented that Misawa had accepted it, he walked away from the library and never looked back. Gunsou took note of the date, and made a small note for Friday in his homework diary:

[ _If BB isn't fun, delete it and DON'T tell Misawa about it._ ]

Today was Tuesday. Mikiseki's game had three more days to prove itself, or else he would give it the chop. The rest of the day was spent completing his homework at Misawa's place before he went to bed at the usual time.

Looking up at his bedroom ceiling, he thought back to when he had argued with Mikiseki, and silently cursed himself for not doing things differently. What if he asked her first what was wrong? Maybe things wouldn't be so bad. He might still be friends with that beautiful girl...

 _'Gunsou, you sly dog,'_ he thought to himself, ' _It's just her avatar; don't take it too seriously.'_

The Neuro Linker felt rather uncomfortable on his neck; with the charging cable attached, he could only sleep on his side. Gunsou reached over and gently rapped the wall: _tap-tap, tap-tap._

The reply came almost immediately. _Tap, tap, tap._

He smiled softly, and turned over and shut his eyes. The darkness of sleep overtook him soon after.

...

 **to be continued.**

 **...**


	3. Duel Avatar

**Duel Avatar**

.

* * *

 **Wednesday, April 13, 2039 AD**

* * *

Thunder rolled across the early morning sky, still dark and heavy with rain. Great sheets of it came in droves, and gusts of wind blew the rain into every corner of Tokyo. The sleeping Gunsou unconsciously drew his blanket closer.

It was an empty space, and Gunsou was walking. He knew not where he came from. He knew not where he was. In this space, he somehow felt like he could do anything, but he was sure that there was something here. Something he had hidden a long time ago and tried to forget about.

Gunsou turned around. He was in his room, with his new spring mattress smelling like it had just came from the store. Toys were neatly stacked in the corner and nothing was out of place. He walked out of his room and saw his mother-

Mayumi was weeping. She was sitting on the floor, legs splayed, and burying her face in a handkerchief. "Mom!" Gunsou exclaimed, "What's wrong? Mom!"

As he moved closer, she wailed loudly and tried to slap Gunsou. Dodging her pitiful flail, Gunsou looked around and immediately spotted the source of all her misery and sadness - his father. He was wearing his usual long-sleeved shirt and pants, his hand firmly grasping a luggage bursting at the seams. An unnatural look of disgust pervaded his unshaven features, which changed to one of regret when he turned to look at his son.

"...Dad? What's going on? Why are you leaving?" Gunsou asked. "What's up with your big bag today?"

"Son, I'm going for work," the older man said evenly, "Take care of your mother."

Gunsou blinked. Something was terribly wrong here, wasn't it? "Dad, Mom is sad! Can't you just go late for work? Take care of Mom!"

"No, I'm not," his fathered muttered and turned his back to Gunsou, "I've done enough, I've had enough. The money I've left will be enough, too. Bye, Gunsou."

"Dad!" Gunsou screamed, "Don't go! Don't- Go!"

He ran out of the house barefoot, chasing after his father. He crashed into the bulky luggage and tugged at his sleeve. "You gotta stay, Dad, Mom's not feeling well! Help take care of her!"

 _WHAM!_

A fist from nowhere. Drove itself deep into his cheek, and flung Gunsou into the wall. He blinked, and realised he wasn't himself: he was eight years old again, his arms weak and small and defenseless. He looked up at the towering silhouette of his father; even in the dim light, it was very clear that his face was contorted with rage.

"Don't," he growled, "Ever touch me again!" He turned on his heel and disappeared.

"Dad... Daddy..." Gunsou whispered, shell-shocked and unable to think. His face hurt, someone was crying. Everything hurt, his mother was still weeping. He curled up into a ball and cradling his broken face, he murmured, "Why..."

And an incredible emotion filled his body like never before: anger. Hot, boiling, dollops of it. This was all just a dream and he was still powerless to change the past. Gunsou curled his hands into fists and beat the floor, blind to the new streaks of pain shooting up his nerves. Everything was far away, no one was with him any more.

"Why did you leave us, Dad!" Gunsou screamed, "Why did you hit me then? Why did you hurt Mom? What wrong did I do last time?!" Tears flowed down his face as he bawled.

 _I hate this_ , he thought, _everything hurts and I hate it so much. If I could protect myself back then, it would be so much better!_

 **[IS THAT THE WISH YOU WANT TO MAKE?]**

 _Yes!_

When Gunsou finally stopped crying long enough to sit up, his pillow had a huge wet spot where he had cried. It was 6:30 in the morning, but the falling rain made it so much darker, as though it was at least 5 AM. Wiping his eyes on his sleeve, he shrugged and swung his legs out of bed to get up, but then something tugged at his neck.

"My Neuro Linker?" Bemused, Gunsou reached up with his free hand and pulled it off. The charging wire was still plugged in, and a green light glowed, indicating full charge. "Why did I leave it on when I went to sleep?"

He was stroking the hard plastic shell, when it all came back to him: Mikiseki - they had Direct Connected. She gave him something, told him and then begged him to keep his Neuro Linker on. It was all because of-

"Brain Burst," Gunsou said to himself, "It caused all this." Suddenly, the faded blue-green colour of his Neuro Linker looked ten times more revolting than it actually was.

"...What have I done to myself?" he whispered.

...

It was Mrs Yukizuka's lesson again in the morning. Keeping his eyes fixed on the slides she displayed, Gunsou was determined to avoid Mikiseki's hopeful glances she had been shooting him ever since he walked into class. But when the familiar icon of a new message arrived, he could no longer resist. He wanted to know too, what had happened.

[Mikiseki]: GUNSOU! Come on, won't you talk to me?

[Gunsou]: Tell me what is Brain Burst exactly first. You lied to me, it wasn't a game.

[Mikiseki]: (is typing...)

It remained that way for a full minute. _Just how much is there to Brain Burst?_ Gunsou wondered.

[Mikiseki]: Scratch that, it's easier to talk. Library Rec corner, lunch break. Come alone.

Something about the finality of 'Come alone' sent a shiver up Gunsou's spine. He dearly needed someone he could trust right now, but he had already committed to not tell Misawa about this. Would this be his undoing?

He skipped lunch entirely so as to not be seen by Misawa. Huddling at a table, he listlessly scrolled through some of the class' notes when someone tapped him on the shoulder from behind. Turning slowly, he came face-to-face with Mikiseki.

"About time," he said, "Now, are you going to tell me the truth or not?"

She remained silent. Sitting down next to him, she smoothed her skirt and brought out the same coil of wire, connecting one end to her Neuro Linker. Her hand trembled when she gave Gunsou the other end.

"Mikiseki?" Gunsou asked, trying to soften his voice a little, "Is everything alright?"

She shook her head innocently and said, "No, everything's fine." When Gunsou plugged in her cable, she held up three fingers to count down.

Three, two, one. "Burst Link," They whispered together.

 _SLAM!_

As soon as the world had turned blue completely, Mikiseki turned and grabbed hold of Gunsou's hands. "What's your avatar name?" she asked, "What's the first word?"

"What name? What word? You're not telling me anything useful!" Gunsou struggled to break free from Mikiseki's grip; she was surprisingly strong for her size!

"Click on the Matching List tab and see your profile again, Gunsou," Mikiseki said, "Every player had to go through what you went through last night, Gunsou, everyone. You can tell me about it later, but I want to know something now!"

The forcefulness behind her words made Gunsou falter and bow his head. He followed her instructions and brought up a new window: where it was blank yesterday, it was now filled with some details and numbers. At the very top...

"I'm... 'Turquoise Duro'?" Gunsou frowned. "What about it?"

Mikiseki raised an eyebrow. "'Turquoise?' What kind of a colour is that?"

Gunsou remained silent and glared at Mikiseki.

"Never mind, we'll get on with the next step. You wanted your tutorial? You've got one." she said.

She pressed a few option on her own menu, and a bright red button fell from the 'sky' in the same fiery steampunk animation Gunsou had seen yesterday. On its surface, the word 'DUEL!' was written in all-capital letters. Mikiseki rested her finger on this button.

"Here goes nothing, here goes everything." she muttered, and firmly pressed the control.

 _SLAM!_

The world didn't unfreeze; everything faded to black as Gunsou experienced a sensation of falling. His senses slowly returned bit by bit - this was a new online avatar he was receiving and being calibrated to. His heart raced at the prospect of finally playing the game at last.

He felt his feet touch solid ground. Then his hands came to his sides as gravity took over. The scene slowly brightened as his vision was restored; he was now in what appeared to be an empty land, populated with stark white buildings as far as he could see.

 **[HERE COMES A NEW CHALLENGER!]**

Several displays fell from the sky with accompanying animations and sound effects. In the middle of his vision, a counter starting from '1800' descended. Then two bars appeared, each filling up with a large, blue bar. The left bar was named 'Turquoise Duro,' so it was probably a health gauge for himself. And the name on the right was 'Spring Renascentia.'

A short distance away, a glowing disc of light spun into existence, and then split into two rings moving up and down. Between them, what looked like a light green robot stepped out, and then turned to look Gunsou directly in his eyes. But what gave it away was the 'hair' on the robot that was a perfect match for Mikiseki's side ponytail.

 **[FIGHT!]**

As soon as the flaming words cleared, Mikiseki sank to her knees. Her legs hit the pale ground with a dull 'thud' and she collapsed as though all her willpower was gone. "You aren't... No, this can't be..."

Even from this distance, there was no mistaking the robot's voice Mikiseki's moan of despair. Alarmed, Gunsou jogged over to her side, and reached out to touch her shoulder, "Mikiseki, what's wrong?"

And then he saw his own arm. A deep, profound blend of blue and green that covered himself from head to toe, Gunsou's own robot body looked less like an artificial robot than a natural creation. Under the soft light of a full moon, he cast a long shadow behind him; Gunsou estimated his new avatar to be at least twice as tall as Mikiseki's avatar was.

"My god," he breathed, "Why does this feel so normal? I've never calibrated for this avatar or anything, and yet it feels like myself!"

"I bet everything..." Mikiseki softly mumbled. Turning around, Gunsou saw that Mikiseki had gotten back on her feet. "But your Duel Avatar...it's not..."

"What is it not, Mikiseki?" Gunsou asked. "I feel ready to take on anyone! Heh."

"It's not red!" she suddenly shrieked, "You're not a ranged type at all! Look at yourself, you've got no weapons or any Armaments of the sort..."

And then she curled into a ball and began to cry. Dumbstruck, Gunsou decided to leave Mikiseki alone and inspected his surroundings; they seemed oddly familiar to him somehow.

And then he remembered something Mikiseki had mentioned yesterday, that this game used the Social Security Cameras to create the blue world. Did it just model this stage after his school's courtyard, too? He looked around and up at a tall semicircular building - it was without a doubt the counterpart of his school's library building, albeit more stylised with spires and balconies to match the architecture of this stage.

He walked up to a large glass window and examined his reflection. Once again, Gunsou was awestruck by the strangely familiar sight that his gaze beheld: clad from head to toe in blue-green armour, his avatar - Turquoise Duro - mirrored his every movement with startling accuracy. He could feel the thick, reassuring plates on his arms and their heft. A black underlayer concealed what Gunsou imagined to be thick muscle, and when he tried standing up straight, he bumped his head on the stone ceiling above with a dull _thud_ \- he felt nothing but a slight knock, but a tough ridge along his helmet gouged out a deep cut into the stone where he had hit it.

"Impressive, isn't it? You're not the type I'm looking for, but... I guess you look good."

Gunsou whirled around. Standing behind him, the light green avatar stared evenly at him, its hands clasped lightly in front of it. Spring Renascentia - or rather, Mikiseki bowed her head slightly and drooped her shoulders.

"I'm sorry, Gunsou," she said at last, "but it wasn't fair for you. I placed a lot of my hopes on one chance, one bet with the program, and this is my mistake. It has nothing to do with you..." Her voice jumped an octave at the end and she raised a hand to wipe her eyes, but Mikiseki held onto her composure.

"What's that all about? I've got no clue about what you're saying," Gunsou said. He tried to speak softly, but his voice came out as a deep rumble that he felt within his chest, surprising the two of them with its depth. Mikiseki raised an eyebrow before she coughed.

"I forgot to tell you yesterday: you can only distribute Brain Burst once when you're a 'second-generation.' A few weeks ago, a guy I knew randomly received the program out of nowhere, with no explanation whatsoever. He discovered this game and how to fight, how to duel others. And when he had duelled and earned enough Burst Points to level up, he was granted the ability to pass Brain Burst onto as many children as he wanted. That person is..." Mikiseki trailed off. She stared up at Gunsou, as though contemplating something.

"...Never mind, you'll know later. But like I said, since I'm not one of those kids who got it first, I'm considered his 'Child' and he is my 'Parent.' There aren't any rules written down, but he taught me the basics, just like what I'm teaching you," she stretched out a hand towards Gunsou, "But would you listen to me? Will you listen to me, please?"

The quaver in Mikiseki's voice did not escape Gunsou's notice. "T-Tell me what's wrong, Mikiseki," he said, "I think there's something strange about this. Why did want want to give me this game so much?"

Mikiseki stepped closer to Gunsou. "I... I'm not good," she breathed, "I'm not good at this game, I can't duel by myself, and even when I fight together with him, I end up giving him more trouble!" she cried, "Now he's going to take Points from me until I lose the game!"

"Well, what happens then?" Gunsou asked, "What's the big deal if you lose?"

Mikiseki's yellow eyes flared fiercely. "When you lose all your Burst Points, you can never use Brain Burst anymore. I've seen someone lose all his Points; he didn't disappear like they normally do, they _die._ We've never seen him online since that day; what if you lose Brain Burst forever when you run out of Points?" she hissed.

"And now, I'm going to end up like that person! If I don't make myself useful, then it's all over! _He_ knows who I am and which class I'm in, _he_ could challenge me continuously until I run out of Points and die! I don't want to die!" Wrapping her arms around herself, Mikiseki dug her fingernails into herself as tears began to fall.

As he slowly began to grasp the situation, a deep sympathy welled up inside Gunsou's heart and he looked down at the crying girl. The feeling of not wanting to lose something was not unlike the need to be with someone precious. At a loss of what to say, Gunsou decided to let his actions speak for himself; he stepped forwards and pulled Mikiseki into a hug.

She gasped briefly, stiffening up as the huge arms of Turquoise Duro encircled her small frame, but she quickly relaxed and hugged Gunsou back. Her head only came up to Duro's chest height, and Gunsou marveled at the curious warmth of Mikiseki's cheek against his heart. Was it his imagination, or did the fragrance emanating from Spring Renascentia smell of Mikiseki too?

"I don't know what to say or do, Mikiseki," Gunsou finally said, "But if there's one thing I know, it's that everything is going to be alright. Trust me."

"If you say so, then I believe you," she mumbled into his chest. Letting go of Gunsou, they broke their embrace. As Mikiseki stared in adoration up at Gunsou, his cheeks flushed red and he turned away, all of his courage from mere moments ago evaporating into thin air.

"So, um," he tried to steer the conversation away, "What's next?"

Mikiseki shook her head. "There's nothing," she said, "I didn't think about getting this far. I'll just send you a request to draw, and then we'll meet... _him._ "

Gunsou shivered slightly. Mikiseki tapped on empty air for a few moments before a game window appeared before him:

 **[DO YOU AGREE TO DRAW?]**

 _Yes._

...

The world returned to normal for the two children. Students were browsing books, some were busy typing on virtual keyboards, and everyone was completely unaware of the brief, intimate moment shared between Gunsou and Mikiseki. Exchanging glances, Gunsou's face reddened slightly and he scooted away from Mikiseki. Now that he knew a little more of the troubles she was facing, Gunsou was afraid. He didn't regret receiving the game, but he couldn't say the same for having met Mikiseki.

In the middle of this mental conundrum, someone appeared right next to Gunsou and firmly rapped him over the head with her knuckles.

"Ow!" Wincing, Gunsou looked up and instantly wished he hadn't. With her folded arms and raised eyebrows, Misawa looked to him like she might turn into his mother any moment and deliver a tight slap across his face. Her hair was even as black as his mother's!

"Whatcha' doing?" Misawa asked in a falsely cheery voice, "I realised you didn't come down for lunch, so I thought I'd come and see if you were okay. Is everything alright, Gunsou?" Her eyes lingered on the little black cable connecting Gunsou and Misawa.

Swiftly unplugging the cable, Gunsou tossed the end aside. "N-Nothing!" he spluttered, "Everything's okay, Mikiseki and I were just, er, um, playing a game together! You know, two-player games! Isn't that right, Mikiseki?" he turned towards her and begged with his expression, hoping that she would help him out-

Nothing. Mikiseki crossed her arms, pursed her lips, and looked away at the window. "Mikiseki!" Gunsou pleaded, "C'mon, show her the game, prove we weren't doing anything wrong!"

"Be quiet, Gunsou, this is a library." Mikiseki said with all the warmth of a freezer. And then she muttered, "You're such an _idiot_.."

"B-But, what, why?" Gunsou stammered. With every passing second, Misawa was looking less and less impressed, and Mikiseki was looking like a boiling rice cooker. Her jaw was visibly clenched and her face was slowly reddening in scarlet shame. But why?

"Oh, hello Mikiseki. Didn't expect to see you here. And who are these?"

A newcomer appeared before the trio. He was tall; Misawa was the tallest among the three of them, yet this boy was half a head taller than her. His shirt was neatly tucked into his pants, revealing a rather muscular outline. As he scratched his head, Gunsou noticed that this boy wore a navy-blue tie; he was a second-year student.

"Let me guess, Miki," he said, scratching his head, "I know you scraped your way to Level Two last week, so that you could give the program to someone. And judging from the Matching List of players that appear in our school, you managed to succeed and fail simultaneously. All because of your misguided wish to help..." he let the word hang in the air. Mikiseki visibly cringed and hunched her shoulders.

"I'm not an idiot. I knew you were up to something when you stopped trying to Tag Team with me. It's not that I wouldn't forgive you, Miki - but you just couldn't be honest with anyone, not even yourself." The boy sighed, and turned to Gunsou directly.

"My apologies. I'm Jun Ichijo," he bowed his head ever so slightly, "And I guess that you're the mess that Mikiseki has probably created... _'Turquoise Duro.'_ "

Despite his light and casual tone, Jun Ichijo stared at Gunsou with all the warmth of cold steel, and as he spoke, he reached up in a slow, deliberate motion to touch the power button of his Neuro Linker. A bright blue light lit up briefly for an instant before it began to blink.

"I want to see you. Burst Link!"

 _SLAM!_

 **...**

 **to be continued.**

 **...**


	4. Debut

**A/N:** I have stopped being lazy and given my chapters proper names.

* * *

 **Debut**

.

"And I guess that you're the mess that Mikiseki has probably created... _'_ Turquoise Duro.'"

Despite his light and casual tone, Jun Ichijo stared at Gunsou with all the warmth of cold steel, and as he spoke, he reached up in a slow, deliberate motion to touch the power button of his Neuro Linker. A bright blue light lit up briefly for an instant before it began to blink.

"I want to see you. Burst Link!" Jun said. A fraction of a second passed, and-

 _SLAM!_

The world froze and turned electric blue. But unlike earlier, the blue silhouettes of Misawa and Mikiseki besides him faded rapidly to black, as did everything else; he was probably being challenged to a duel. Was Jun fighting him, then? A tremor ran up the length of his back and chilled Gunsou to the bone, as his senses slowly returned to him. He again assumed his new blue-green persona and turned to look his surroundings-

A wet, sticky sensation enveloped Gunsou's right foot. "Ugh!" he exclaimed.

It was a puddle of water, but this was no puddle that Gunsou had ever seen before. It was bubbling and small chunks of a black substance floated in it. All around, the soft and muddy ground was dotted with potholes like these in a large rectangular clearing - it was quite clearly modelled after his school's courtyard, just like Mikiseki and he had seen. All around, trees with thick, gnarly trunks twisted and branched, and rotting vines hung everywhere. A poisonous yellow sun hung overhead, dyeing everything in a sickly glow.

A ring of bright blue light glimmered, and then sparked vigourously as it split into a large cylinder. From within, a tall blue robot dressed in what appeared to be traditional costume stepped out, but now Gunsou knew that this was no robot. He glanced at the corner of his vision where a gauge displaying Jun Ichijo's avatar named descended into place: 'Klein Apprentice.' Closely resembling Jun himself, the deep blue of the avatar more closely resembled the depths of sapphires and the ocean that Turquoise Duro's own shade of blue and green. Sweeping his hands to the side, Apprentice produced a wooden sword and flourished it with practiced ease.

"H-Hold up a second, I don't know anything about combat!" Gunsou held up the thick arms of his avatar as he backed away.

Klein Apprentice smirked and lowered the tip of his sword slightly. "Didn't Mikiseki tell you? There's no tutorial for Brain Burst!"

Without warning, Apprentice sprang forwards and lunged towards Gunsou! Frozen like a deer in headlights, he could only watch as the point of the bamboo sword flashed forwards and buried itself into his left shoulder. With a sickening THUD, it impacted and Apprentice threw his entire weight behind the sword, causing Gunsou to stagger and flail. As his shoulder sparked angrily, Gunsou took a swing at Apprentice's head, but he ducked and easily avoided his attack. He swung his sword with all his strength, smashing into the back of Turquoise Duro and receiving a satisfying CRACK in return.

"Ahhh!"

Gunsou's entire vision flashed red, and not just because of the hot, intense pain he felt radiating from his back. With every sword strike against his unprotected back, his Health Gauge was chipped away by a small amount. A small green bar below the Health Gauges of both players filled as well, though Duro's filled by a considerably smaller amount compared to Klein Apprentice's. As his eyes began to water from the pain, the pieces fell into place as he began to understand the rules of the fighting game.

He really hoped that Brain Burst did not have extra rounds in their duels.

As a large shadow loomed behind him and raised both hands, Gunsou braced himself and kicked back; his foot connected with something hard and Apprentice grunted in pain. The health gauges equalised slightly, and Gunsou rolled to the side and to his feet. Limping slightly, Klein Apprentice narrowed his eyes to slits and lunged forwards again: "Hahh!" He slashed downwards fiercely. Anticipating the attack, Gunsou sidestepped the attack and punched. A clean hit, right on Apprentice's right hand, and pushed him back a good distance away.

Puzzled, Gunsou glanced at his hands; was he so strong naturally, or did he trigger something? He didn't ever recall that his hands were so... So _large._

A distance away, Apprentice clutched his arm, wincing as broken blue bits cracked and fell to the stage. "Hey, you," he groaned, "You used a skill, didn't you? There's no way one hit can push anyone back like that!"

Equally confused, Gunsou clicked on his Gauge, wondering if the submenu had any explanation; and as it appeared, it displayed two skills available to Turquoise Duro: under a column titled 'Normal Move', an entry named «Saint's Fist» was written next to an animation showing a bunch of squiggly lines moving around his body. The other entry was named «Flick Rammer» and showed the same squiggly lines rushing to his fist, moving ina direction that suggested it was an upwards punch. Apparently, this was his 'Special Move.' But this was all Greek to him - he only understood that somehow, his fists and forearms had increased in size. Something on his arms moved, and as he looked closely-

 _His armour plates were moving._ As he brought up his right hand for closer examination, clenching and releasing it, blue-green plates would scuttle over his forearm and gather at his fist, and then return to their original positions. Small plates reformed into larger, thicker plates, and as he slowly closed the fingers of his left in an experiment, the large plate covering his forearm broke up into five or six small pieces that rushed to cover his hand. His armour was no mere protective suit; it was consciously protecting him wherever he needed it, or boost the strength of his attacks.

A thought occurred to Gunsou, and he gingerly felt for his cheek, a spot where he had been hurt a long time ago. It was completely protected by his helmet, and try as he might, he couldn't get it to move away. It was safe, and he would never be hurt ever again. Armed with this reassurance, he stood up straight to face Klein Apprentice and held up his hands in a defensive posture; his armour plates gathered and locked into place.

Klein Apprentice narrowed his eyes. Rather than lunge forwards, he began to circle Gunsou, coming closer with every round. The tip of his wooden sword remained just out of his arms' reach, though tantalising close.

Just as Apprentice was about to step to his right again, Gunsou reached forwards, grabbed the point of his sword, and tugged with all his strength. But rather than losing his grip, Apprentice was pulled along forwards - losing his balance and unceremoniously face-planting into the soft, rotting soil of the stage.

Gunsou abandoned all restraint. Tossing aside the wooden sword, he jumped onto Klein Apprentice and pinned him down. The two boys scuffled and rolled in the mud as Apprentice fought to free himself. Health Gauges dropped rapidly whenever they fell into shallow pools of swampy water. Although Turquoise Duro was the bigger duel avatar of the two, Klein Apprentice fought dirty; he buried his knee into Duro's abdomen and soft, unprotected areas, and grabbed handfuls of mud and earth and smashed it into Duro's face.

Their grunts and cries could be heard all over the stage, especially the tall tree where Mikiseki had perched herself, where she spectated their 'duel' from a safe spot. She shook her head as Gunsou headbutted Jun forcefully with a earsplitting CRACK.

"BOYS!" she shouted, "Please stop! Isn't that enough?"

Momentarily confused by Mikiseki's plea, Jun and Gunsou exchanged glances and mutual disgust. Shoving each other away, Gunsou wiped the dirt from his eyes while Jun tried to clean his soiled robes in the clearest-looking swamp he could find.

Working her way from branch to branch, Mikiseki made her way down and hopped onto a harmless-looking lotus leaf. She dusted her hands and began to speak.

"Gunsou, this is Jun Ichijo. He is my 'Parent,' the one who gave me Brain Burst a few weeks ago. Jun, meet Gunsou Kihara, my Ch- Child," she gestured towards Gunsou.

Jun looked at Gunsou and scowled. Stiffly, he bowed very slightly, never taking his eyes off Gunsou. Likewise, Gunsou barely dipped his armoured head as he bowed, and as he got up he spat some dirt that was still in his mouth at Jun's feet. Neither of them said anything in the moment of silence that followed.

"So Gunsou, I suppose you're wondering why Mikiseki gave you Brain Burst?" Jun said, clearly masking his dislike, "The situation is rather easy to understand, I hope. Level Three players like myself are currently battling other players to earn five hundred Burst Points to advance to Level Four. Although you win ten Points for every victory, losing a duel at higher Levels will reward everyone equally with more Points. Thus..."

Jun sighed heavily and shook his head. "A strong player called 'Guardsman Railgun' has been gaining lots of Points by fighting Tag Teams of two players at a time, and earning twenty Points per duel. Even I can't take him down in a duel, and at this rate, he's going to hit Level Four first."

"What's so special about Level Four, huh? What's it to you?" Gunsou asked. He hardly knew Jun or Mikiseki, but they expected him to help a bruised ego? _Jun should go solve it himself!_ He thought.

"'What's in it for me?'" Jun repeated, "It's simple."

Jun drew back his leg. Before Gunsou realised what was happening, Jun had turned and-

 _BAM!_

-delivered a high kick to Gunsou's jaw. Despite his armour, Gunsou's vision swam and he staggered backwards until he hit a tree; and then Jun drove the blunt point of his wooden sword into his throat. "I don't kill you," he snarled, "Or Mikiseki either, as long as you help me. The game sent a message to say specifically there was a new ability and a command you can use at Level Four. If nothing stopped me from doing so, I would break both your necks right here and now."

He let go of Gunsou and sheathed his sword by his side. Gunsou rubbed his aching neck and stared at Mikiseki; she glumly shook her head and stared at her feet, arms behind her back.

"Brain Burst means everything to me," Jun continued to speak, "It's my grades, my kendo, my life. It's so useful, I can't think about not using it anymore. And the two of you are going to help me," he declared, "And in return I'll teach you how to make full use of every day for the rest of your life. Y'know the saying, 'Every man has 24 hours to use in a day'? Well that just changed."

"That's just wrong," Gunsou muttered, "You're not using your own abilities to solve your own problems."

Jun stepped up close to Gunsou. "You don't understand. I'm giving you a gift!"

"And Mikiseki said this was to help you." Gunsou replied coldly.

Jun shrugged. "Suit yourself then. And by the way, I win. «Snake Bite»!"

Jun's fully-filled green Special Gauge depleted, and his sword glowed bright purple. Before Gunsou could even open his mouth, Jun had lunged forwards, sword in hand as he yelled. Twin bright lances of purple filled his eyes.

 **[YOU LOSE!]**

Everything had begun to fade to black just when Gunsou understood what had happened. A large window appeared before him and a giant number ' **98** ' ticked down to **'91** '. Before it disappeared too, Gunsou saw that it was titled "Burst Points Remaining" in plain text.

 _91 Points to go_ , he grimly thought. His senses returned to the real world, where seconds ago Jun had met them in the library. Nothing else had changed: Misawa was looking at Jun and Mikiseki with a look of bemusement, Mikiseki herself was still bowing her head in shame, and Jun was assuming the expression of one who had encountered a particularly repulsive mess. Standing his ground, Gunsou puffed out his chest and stared icily at Jun. He hadn't quite forgotten the sensation of mud in his eyes.

"So..." Gunsou began.

Jun snorted. "Hmmph. I hope you will consider my offer, Kihara Gunsou. We will meet again." With that, he turned on the spot and left the way he came. Mikiseki got to her feet as well, and she quietly muttered something that sounded like an apology as she scurried away.

"What the heck was all that?" Misawa asked, utterly perplexed. She tugged at Gunsou's sleeve while he continued to stare at Jun's back. "What just happened, and why- aren't- you- saying- anything?"

Snapping back to his senses, Gunsou tugged his arm out of Misawa's vise grip. As his English teacher might have said, the game was up. "I don't know where to start, Misawa. I'll tell you later tonight."

"You'd better," she grumbled, "A lot of strange things have been happening!"

...

The children gathered in Misawa's room that evening, and Gunsou slowly recounted everything from the beginning. How Mikiseki had guilted him into installing Brain Burst, the experience of Acceleration, and his duel with Jun / Klein Apprentice right before her eyes earlier today. Misawa listened patiently, sipping her tea, and only seeming mildly surprised when Gunsou mentioned his Direct Connection to Mikiseki.

The only part Gunsou had omitted in his recount was the details of his nightmare. It was probably unnecssary to include that part in, and besides he had no clear idea as to how it was connected to Brain Burst.

Misawa was silent for a few moments when he finished. She slowly put her mug of tea down and stared at Gunsou meaningfully. "Let's see if I got this right," she said, holding up three fingers. "One, this game called 'Brain Burst' lets you use Acceleration, and I can't use it myself or see you use it until you play for awhile?"

Gunsou nodded. "Uh, but actually I don't think you would even know I'm using it unless we're..."

"Two, Mikiseki and Jun are also playing this game, and want you to help them out," Misawa continued without waiting for Gunsou, "Either by fighting someone else or just giving yourself up."

"That's... Yeah, that's right." he sighed.

"And three, it sounds to me like you want to keep playing, isn't it?" Misawa narrowed her eyes ever so slightly. Gunsou swallowed nervously and nodded.

"Gunsou, for the love of all that is holy, please stop. I don't see this ending well for you, even if I've not played it myself." Misawa frowned as she said. "Don't you know how important school is? That at the end of middle school, we'll be legal adults? You've got to grow some responsibility, and no amount of game-playing is going to do that!"

Gunsou winced. Misawa sounded like his mother, and if there was one thing he hated about his mother, it was Mayumi's insistence on telling him what was good for him. Everything she talked about always ended up at the same old thing - his father!

He tried to keep his face as neutral as possible. "I know what you're talking about, Misawa," he said, "But just relax! I know what I'm doing and I'll stop playing when things get too hairy. It's a pretty good game anyway."

Silence fell upon them. Shifting to the side, Gunsou leaned his head back against Misawa's bed. It was wonderfully soft, bringing back old memories when they still had sleepovers. It was years ago, though, when Misawa had begun to turn down his requests.

Suddenly, Misawa nudged Gunsou's shoulder. "Hey Gunsou. You know about my mum, but didn't I ever tell you about my dad?"

Gunsou blinked, and then flushed bright red in shame. How could he have forgotten? Misawa's family had collectively disowned her father for being addicted to games and abandoning his pregnant wife. Misawa had thus experienced a very similar upbringing to him - single parent, bad father, and somewhat dependent on others. It was one of the reasons why they clicked, after all. With the mess he had gotten into with Brain Burst, the story of Misawa's father was never more relevant. But why did she want to bring him up?

"I-I'm listening," he stammered. "I forgot, but now that you mentioned it..."

Misawa frowned and crossed her arms. "You're terrible for forgetting that. I told you long ago that Dad - my dad disappeared because he couldn't stop playing those games, and now he's in the rehabilitation centres for those. I would hate you if you went the same way," she said.

"I'm sorry, Misawa." he held his head. Uncrossing her arms, Misawa reached over for a jug of water and refilled their mugs. She held out his mug for him as she continued.

"That's not the point. The lesson I want to remind you of is that you need to start taking responsibility. Like, don't you clean your room? That was so last year; you need to take charge of yourself." she said.

"But I won't get addicted to Brain Burst, Misawa!" Gunsou argued. "I know what I'm doing, and after I'm done helping I'll probably uninstall it. Isn't that taking responsibility?" Part of him wanted to add on the fact that Acceleration meant all duels and uses of Brain Burst were literally taking place in less than a few seconds. Her dad had gotten in trouble for playing those virtual reality MMOs, the kind that involved endless levelling up and fighting variations of the same old monsters, for days on end.

"That's what he said," Misawa said. "Mama told me he always said that before logging on for another few hours at a stretch, and never made it for dinner on time."

Gunsou put down his cup and sighed. The two situations couldn't be more different, and while he had never met the man, Gunsou was dead sure he was completely unlike him too. How was this relevant to him, then? All Gunsou just wanted was to have some fun, after all; besides Misawa, there didn't seem to be anything in particular that he looked forwards to...

 _...What the hell did I just think about?_ Gunsou nearly spilled his water in surprise, and yet he knew it to be true. His father was gone, his mother was a shadow of her former self, and for all that he had said about games, they rarely held his interest for more than a month. In his life, Misawa was the only constant, the one person he could always depend on for support.

And just as he thought of that, Misawa got up on her knees and placed her hands on his shoulders. She was too close, she would surely see the blush creeping across his face. His heart hammered against his chest while her hands firmly gripped him. As she determinedly locked gazes with him, Gunsou withered under her gaze; the atmosphere was getting very thick and tense. Was she waiting for him to say something?

"I would hate you if you went his way, Gunsou," she spoke with steel in her voice. "Trust me, it won't work out how you want it to."

"I-I got it. I'll uninstall the game after a week, okay?" Gunsou looked down, unable to withstand the strength of Misawa's stare. But rather than leave it at that, Misawa prodded his cheek and made him look up. _There was no way she wouldn't notice I'm blushing_ , he thought.

"That's not what I want you to do!" she said. "Just take responsibility for your actions, okay?"

"Okay, Misawa." he said quietly. Satisfied, Misawa got up with a smile and left her room.

He anxiously massaged his chest. _What is this feeling?_ he thought _._

"Gunsou!" Misawa called from the living room, "Let's have dinner! Help me set the table, okay?"

Once more, he jumped at the sound of her voice, and judging from the sensation, so had his pulse. "Y-Yeah, I'll be right there!" he replied.

Gunsou went straight for the bathroom instead. He locked the door and turned the tap to its maximum, splashing cold water on his face. Only when he saw in the mirror that his face was no longer apple-red then did he turn off the tap and towel his face dry.

Was this him having feelings for Misawa? _'Surely not!'_ was his immediate reaction, but that in no way explained his reaction. He had been thinking rather logically, in fact, until he had finished that line of thought. He recalled an old internet joke: if your mother and your girlfriend were drowning in a lake, who would you save if you could only rescue one?

The fact that his mind dwelled rather heavily on Misawa over his mother made him feel very uneasy. It didn't even sound fair when he knew Misawa was probably better than him at swimming, and therefore he was making the most irrational choice possible.

It was hardly like him at all, and it continued to eat at him for the rest of the evening. When he eventually bid her goodbye and returned home, all he could think about was Misawa, Misawa, Misawa. Even as he lay in bed, he continued to think about older, fonder memories when they had played together. He looked through old photos on his Neuro Linker, watching her grow up from a little girl into a young woman. At least, he was risking a precious friend if he continued to play Brain Burst. At the worst...his chest ached at the thought. Shaking his head, Gunsou removed his Neuro Linker from his neck and tugged his thin blanket closer; he still had to go to school, just like Misawa wanted him to do.

It was only on the brink of sleep did it occur to Gunsou that he had not even thought about Mikiseki, not even once.

...

 **to be continued.**

...


	5. Incertus

**A/N:** **I apologise for the late update; I hit a block trying to write this chapter, I've survived a crazy week of non-stop projects, and even now while I'm catching a break, finals are coming up. The pressure has never been greater. It's safe to say that I won't be writing anything more this week, so I'll just release what I have.**

* * *

 **Incertus**

 _1\. uncertain, doubtful, not sure_

 _2\. not knowing, doubting (said of persons)_

 _._

* * *

 **Thursday, April 14, 2039 AD**

* * *

The morning came too quickly for Gunsou. Having tossed and turned in bed all night, it had felt like he had barely closed his eyes when the rays of the rising sun poked at his eyes and forced him out of bed. While he scarfed down a quick breakfast, his mother had sent him a message yesterday that she would be working late today and he would have to settle his own dinner. Well, it was just like last week, so no biggie about it, unless he had dinner with Misawa-

Well apparently that would be the problem, after all. He still had not forgotten the awkward terms they had parted on last night. Just as he closed and locked his door - lo and behold, Misawa stepped out of her own front door, buttered toast in mouth while she pulled on her shoes. The instant he caught sight of her, Gunsou turned away and pretended to tie his shoes, so that she wouldn't see his face.

"Morning, Gunsou," Misawa said, her words slightly muffled by the toast. "Lil' late, aren't you?"

"Y-yeah," Gunsou struggled reply as innocently-sounding as he could, "Didn't sleep well last night."

"Is that so?" Misawa asked as she turned to look at Gunsou. "Are you alright? Boy, you look like a wreck!" she exclaimed.

Gunsou shook his head. "I'll be fine. A little less sleep won't kill me, y'know?" He got up and the two of them walked together to the bus stop.

Grey clouds hung low in the skies, threatening to satisfy the weatherman's prediction for morning showers. As the crowd huddled underneath the shelter of the bus stop, Gunsou looked around at the familiar morning crowd while Misawa searched her bag. A moment later, she sighed and turned to him: "Have you got your umbrella?"

"Yeah- what, why? Oh." The realisation clicked and Gunsou was visited by a strange thought - he and Misawa, sharing a folding umbrella while they walked through the rain...

"I must've left it in my other bag or something. Oh well, whatever. Yours is big enough for the two of us, right?" Misawa asked. Her eyebrow rose in expectation.

"What, you think I'm still using the old yellow one?" Gunsou said, "I threw it away ages ago. I've got a bigger one now-"

 _SLAM!_

His blood turned to ice. Of all the times, why was he being Challenged now!

The world faded to black and the unfamiliar comfort of his new avatar settled in. This time, the stage looked like a network of bridges above a clear blue sea, though dark shapes could be seen in the water. From where Gunsou was standing at the edge of one 'bridge,' he was uncomfortably close to the water. He swallowed nervously and turned to look for his opponent.

A window appeared in the centre of his vision: 'First Win of the Day BONUS!' it read. Apparently, Gunsou could earn double the Burst Points if he won this battle. His opponent's name fell from the sky and slid into place at the top of his vision: Guardsman Railgun.

"Who's this, a new guy?" An unfamiliar voice spoke clearly from somewhere.

Gunsou whirled around: not one, but three different duel avatars were perched on a balcony of a nearby building! But these people seemed different; they looked more friendly and judging from the way their hands were tapping thin air, they were accessing menus of their own.

"'Turquoise Duro?' I've never seen you before!" The dark-green female avatar said. The others, apparently friends of hers, nodded as they closed their menus. The tallest of them, a bluish-purple avatar holding a spear, craned his neck forwards to get a good look at Gunsou, while a small, metallic avatar in their middle continued to look at a small computer he was holding.

"My my, he's a Level 1 newbie," the metallic player was saying, "It doesn't look good for him. Railgun is one of the most powerful veterans out there; he's never lost a fight to anyone new before. Good luck, new guy!"

 _They're...spectators?_ Gunsou wondered. 'T-Thank you!" he called out in reply.

"Hey, you. You actually bother talking to them?"

A sleek, red robot wearing a baseball cap quietly stepped out from behind the wreck of a car. As he turned to face the newcomer, Gunsou's eyes instantly fell upon the absurdly large cannon that seemed to be built right into his arm! There was no doubt about it - this was his opponent, Guardsman Railgun. Gunsou instinctively brought his hands up in a protective stance and lowered his head.

"Ah well, it's not like they matter anyway. Let's get on with it!" his opponent said.

With a flick of his 'arm,' a bolt _clacked_ into place and iron sights flipped up from his weapon. In one smooth motion, Railgun aims the gun at Gunsou's face and pulls the trigger-

 _Bang!_ It's not the gunshot that Gunsou hears, but the sickening _thud!_ as he is bodily thrown backwards, into a crumbling block of concrete, and flipped over it like a rag doll. The impact knocked the air out of his lungs, and Gunsou swore he could see stars.

 _Clack-clack._ The mere sound sent terror down his spine, forcing Gunsou to his feet, and sending him running for cover. Another gunshot split the air - a pothole where Gunsou's foot had been a mere fraction of a second earlier promptly exploded and opened up into a huge pit!

Gunsou shuddered, and he glanced at the Health Gauges. That single shot from Guardsman Railgun had taken out a considerable chunk of his health, and his arms hurt and stung where he had blocked the round. All the odds were stacked against him; his opponent was stronger, more clever, and knew more to this game than he did. "Can't you cut me a break?" He yelled in frustration, "This is so unfair!"

Guardsman's reply in kind was to blast the wall Gunsou was hiding behind with a third round, powerful enough to nudge him forwards and causing deep cracks to appear in the concrete. As dust filled the air, Gunsou peeked out and saw Guardsman Railgun reaching for a pouch on his waist; he extracted three large bullets, each the size of his finger, and slotted them into his gun one by one.

Gunsou turned back to his hiding spot. When Guardsman Railgun finished shooting, he'd have to try to attack him. But how could he get Railgun to use up his bullets? Railgun's earlier attack had obliterated the road surface besides him, and several large chunks, almost as large as a basketball, were within arm's reach. But Gunsou was going to have to come out from his cover to get it. Counting to five in his head, Gunsou tensed up, and then dashed forwards, trying to run as low as he could.

 _Bang!_ The concrete barrier exploded and was reduced to powder. Gunsou grabbed the hunk of asphalt and heaved, lifting it to his chest and running for the safety of an abandoned car. As quickly as it had started, Railgun's weapon fell silent, and he paused to reload.

In Gunsou's mind, he could already see the perfect plan: he'd throw the basketball-sized rock at Railgun, watch him frantically try to shoot it out of the air, and fail. Then all he'd need to do was to quickly close the distance and pummel his opponent into submission. But fear kept him down. His legs quaked and his head throbbed with every beat of his heart. Would it work? What if he failed? What if Guardsman Railgun simply killed him?

Guardsman Railgun finished loading his weapon with a loud click. Gunsou twitched - hesitated for a second - and then jumped straight up, hurling the rock at the red figure with all his strength.

"What the-?" Twin thunderclaps immediately split his ears as Railgun backpedalled, firing as he went. The first round went wide - passing Gunsou's ear with a _zing!_ \- but the second round was true and dispersed the asphault into a thousand fragments. The dust enveloped Guardsman Railgun and he held up his arm to shield his eyes.

 _Now!_ Gunsou charged. His feet gouged into the crumbling road as he took huge strides, grateful for his increased strength. In a few bounds, he closed the distance and lept - landing squarely on his target and pushing him into the ground!

Both fighters tumbled end over end, and Gunsou found his smaller opponent sitting on his chest. He quickly shoved Railgun over, knocking his head against a small pile of rubble, and punched him in the chest. _Wham! Wham! Crunch!_ \- Railgun had brought up his arm to block the incoming strike. Still straddling his foe, Gunsou raised his right arm, making a fist and feeling its weight double with extra armour.

"Get off me! « _Certain Death Railgun_ »!"

 _Too late,_ Gunsou realised, as he watched the glowing barrel being shoved into his chest-

 _BOOM!_ Everything went black.

How much time had passed? When Gunsou came to, he was lying on his back and completely drained of energy. He gritted his teeth and tasted iron. Blood? In a game? As Gunsou blinked to clear his vision, he became aware of a red silhouette standing above him - Guardsman Railgun, still alive. And probably the winner already. But he was hunched over, leaning on his arm-weapon for support, and Gunsou slowly realised that his once-proud opponent was in a sorry state. Great chunks of his duel avatar were shattered, covered in grit, or entirely missing. His own helmet was missing the baseball cap from earlier, revealing a plain, bald head.

"That kid has done it! Well done, Turquoise Duro!" Someone cheered from a distance. From his view on the ground it was rather difficult to see, but he spotted the same dark green duel avatar in the distance, waving and cheering alongside a group of other players. The rest who weren't openmouthed in admiration were busy booing his opponent. Gunsou craned his neck, and then he saw the Gauges: both he and Guardsman Railgun were low, so low their bars had turned red and only slivers remained.

"Ahh...so close." he groaned. His remark earned the ire of his opponent, and Railgun glared at him.

"This is still your loss, a-hole. Say goodbye." He staggered as he raised the barrel of his weapon and aimed it at Gunsou's ruined chest. As the timer ticked down and birds flew in the virtual sky overhead, Gunsou wondered why he felt so calm.

 _Bang!_ The blue sky turned white.

 **[YOU LOSE!]**

 _...74 Points to go_ , Gunsou thought grimly. And in the blink of an eye, he was back - under an overcast morning, a crowded bus stop, and Misawa staring at him, waiting for an answer to a question he forgot-

"Ow!" Gunsou clutched his chest and ground his teeth. It felt as though a spike had been driven through his chest - or more accurately, someone had fired a gun into it. But why did it still hurt? Wasn't the game over?

"Gunsou! You alright?" Misawa had grabbed his shoulder and shook him. A few curious onlookers had turned their way, but most of the crowd simply ignored them, too absorbed in their Neuro Linkers to realise what was happening.

Gunsou took her hand off his shoulder, taking in deep breaths. "I'm fine, Misawa, it's alright. It's just-" he dropped his voice and gaze, too guilty to look her in the eyes, "Well, someone challenged me. To a fight, I mean, and I just lost." As if to voice his bitterness, his chest throbbed in a particularly painful way, prompting Gunsou to hug his chest tightly. Misawa fixed him with a critical eye and frowned. "It's that game, isn't it? Not looking like such a good idea now, huh?"

Gunsou could only shrug. Fortunately, the bus arrived, and the two children queued up to board the bus. It was jam-packed with the morning crowd, and Gunsou found himself rubbing shoulders with Misawa on the left and an office worker on the right. The air was a strange mix of the dampness of impending rain, the bus' air-conditioning, and the various fragrances and perfumes the adults wore. More people boarded the bus and forced Gunsou closer to Misawa; Gunsou grabbed the handhold for support as the bus began to move. The bus wasn't moving all that fast, but the swaying of the crowd forced Gunsou to follow their rhythm, bring him uncomfortably close to Misawa. He could already feel the creeping heat in his face; there was no way she couldn't notice it.

He didn't think too much of it when a hand brushed across his waist. But when it happened again - a fleeting scratch, almost a tickle of his belly, he turned and saw a grinning Misawa. How dare she make fun of him like this! With a impish smile, Misawa poked him hard, and it took all of Gunsou's resolve to not jump a foot in the air and land on the many leather shoes around him.

"Stop that, Misawa!" he whispered, afraid that others would see what was happening, "It's really- ticklish!"

Misawa giggled as Gunsou squirmed, twirling her finger in circles and watched as Gunsou turned beet red from the strain. Just as he opened his mouth, Misawa shushed him and withdrew her hand at last. Gunsou took deep breaths, glaring daggers at Misawa. "You... Don't ever do that again..."

"Then promise me something, Gunsou," Misawa said, "Stop playing the game." Her smile fell faster than Gunsou's stomach could drop. "Listen to me - that game isn't good for you! Uninstall it soon, okay?"

 _Damn it,_ Gunsou thought, _Mikiseki plays dirty, but Misawa is the worst!_ Lowering his gaze to his shoes, he nodded.

...

The rain had just arrived in full force by the time Gunsou and Misawa reached their respective classrooms. The moment Gunsou sat down at his table, he received a message from a familiar sender:

[Mikiseki]: I heard about what happened. CONGRATS! ❤

[Mikiseki]: Ahh I misclicked! But yeah, well done! That was your first battle but no one has ever been able to give Guardsman Railgun such a hard time!

Gunsou read and reread her messages just in case he was hallucinating. How did she know? Scanning the classroom, Gunsou saw her on the other side, smiling brightly at him. She winked and continued to type.

[Mikiseki]: Word got around fast. There's only a hundred or so players here, and things like beating up Railgun is no small feat. You worked hard!

Gunsou smiled. Or tried to, lifting up a corner of his lips in an attempt to reciprocate Mikiseki's beaming face. He didn't know why he felt like that, he only knew that he wasn't happy with this praise. Wasn't it something he was happy to receive? Didn't he work for a reward? His mother's words came back to him: _make me proud and get some good results, won't you?_

His stomach turned to ice and Gunsou swiped the message window closed. Mrs Yukizuka had just walked in anyway.

But as the day wore on, it was impossible to ignore Mikiseki. Gunsou could ignore her glances, but he couldn't quite stop his gaze from going back to her. What should he tell her? Apologies? Thanks? It was so much easier to not think and just go with the flow.

The lunch bell rang. Intending to give her the slip, Gunsou quietly turned around and hoped that the boys passing by his table would shield him. The moment he stood up, a very familiar hand landed on his shoulder and squeezed in an overly familiar way. "Hey Gunsou!"

Whether he cared to admit it or not, Mikiseki was _still_ a very pretty girl, and Gunsou fought to keep a straight face as he faced her. It felt like a thousand people were watching him and Mikiseki in that moment.

"Do you... Do you want to have lunch together with me?" Mikiseki asked.

A few ears perked up. Mikiseki's friends were watching in the corner of the classroom. Gunsou looked everywhere, wondering who else was looking at him, refusing to meet her insistent gaze. Was he trembling slightly, or was Mikiseki's hand gripping him a tad too tightly? Gunsou felt his ears burn; he looked down at his feet.

"Uh..sorry, Mikiseki. Maybe next time?" He hoped he had said it quietly enough, too soft for anyone else to hear. For a moment, when nothing seemed to have changed, Gunsou believed he had gotten away with it.

"What?!" Several girls cried out in unison. "Impossible!" One of them said, pointing an accusing finger at Gunsou. "How could you reject Mikiseki's kindness, you ungrateful kid!" Every other person in the class stared at him; some in undisguised interest, some in confusion. The weight of every gaze pinned him to the spot; Gunsou was barely conscious of removing Mikiseki's hand from his shoulder.

"T-There's a misunderstanding..." Gunsou stammered, backing into his chair and curling his fingers around it. "I'm okay with going with her to lunch, but it's just, well, not entirely convenient for me at present, so..."

Mikiseki's five girlfriends all raised eyebrows in unison. Not a single one of them was buying it. Gunsou frantically scanned the classroom, looking for one familiar face and finding a dozen unfamiliar people staring back. _This is wrong,_ he thought, _why is this happening to me?_ His face burning in shame, Gunsou turned and walked out of the class, barely maintaining self-control. The moment he thought he was out of earshot, he broke into a run and never looked back.

Had he looked back, Gunsou might have seen Mikiseki grin to herself for a fraction of a second, the kind of smile someone has when everything goes according to plan.

...

Elsewhere in school, a very different kind of plan was being put into action. As a group of boys swung wooden swords, stretched limbs, and checked their scores, Ichijo Jun walked into the hall in his kendo attire, helmet tucked under his arm and wooden sword by his side. Fellow students made way for him as he passed, but their expressions were hardly friendly. Jun paid them no mind as he deposited his schoolbag and proceeded to warm up.

Rumours had been flying thick and fast for the last few weeks among the Mitsukihara Kendo Team. How had this no-namer second-year student gone from average drifter to star player in the space of a few months? Had he hired a private trainer? Downloaded some kendo app? Plausible, but no app could ever replicate the experience of swinging a sword hundreds of times a week, and even the best swordsmen didn't just miraculously learn their skills overnight. Ichijo Jun's rise up the ladder was swift and mysterious, perhaps too much so, and to which the team captain hoped to get to the bottom of in today's 'practice.'

An informal tournament, he had said. The first to three points wins, and their Coach would serve as Judge. The man was pushing seventy - ancient by today's standards to be still teaching in middle schools - but no one had ever heard the man say a false word. If there was anyone they could trust, it was their master, Inoue Kozou.

The only thing Jun regretted was not having come up with a more plausible excuse. His overenthusiastic use of Brain Burst now had to be covered up somehow - it was too suspicious if he could perfectly block every strike and capitalise on every mistake his opponent. He could still cheat, but in a more realistic way. Fortunately for him, he had just the means to do it: beating Gunsou and several other kids yesterday had earned him enough to just reach his goal of five hundred Points - enough to ensure that he had a buffer of a hundred Points to spare when he had Levelled Up. He figured he had nothing to worry about by lying to Mikiseki and Gunsou - why bother telling them the truth?

As it was, Level Four indeed granted him a very special command: Physical Burst. He had tried it once; it was time to use it for real.

Jun pulled the protector over his head and bowed stiffly to his opponent. It was the rookie third-year Ryoutarou - Jun had long ago figured out that he could be flustered easily if constantly pushed back on the defensive. The stone-faced Master Kozou raised his hand, and Jun braced himself.

"Begin!" The old man commanded, and dropped his hand. Jun smiled - swung his sword with a flourish, and the fight was on.

"Physical Burst!" he whispered under his mask. The world turned yellow, and every sound dropped a few octaves, sounding like he was underwater. Jun felt sluggish, trying to move his arms through what felt like molasses, but he understood.

 _Physical Burst_ sped up the mind, but kept its connection to the body. Scientists in the last century dubbed this phenomenon 'bullet-time,' when extreme situations and stress pushed the mind to think and react faster than it would ever do anytime else. But thanks to Brain Burst, Jun could activate it on-demand for the low, low price of three Burst Points.

Relying on his own senses, Jun focused on Ryoutarou's eyes. He was still looking at Jun, the tip of his sword beginning to move to Jun's right in anticipation of a strike from that direction. He would never anticipate the feint as Jun pushed his sword into a gentle curve, scraping swords as he aimed for the Ryoutarou's right shoulder.

Jun grinned to himself. This was going to be so easy!

...

He had broken a sweat. His arm was slightly numb from where the Team Captain had dealt a heavy blow to his guard, and Jun allowed himself to break posture, displaying the picture perfect example of a fatigued fighter. But on the side of the hall, no less than eight seniors knelt with bowed heads - eight consecutive battles, and eight consecutive wins. Jun knew all of their weaknesses, when to play safe and when to strike, and had outwitted, outsmarted, and outduelled all of them.

It had only cost him forty-eight Burst Points anyway!

With a final _crack_ of wood on leather, Jun tagged the team captain on his armguard, earned his final point, and prompted Kozou to step in and declare the match over. As he sheathed his wooden sword, Jun couldn't help but smirk at the defeated Team Captain, a lean boy his height, named Nagisa Yuuichi.

"This isn't over," Nagisa growled between clenched teeth, "You won't go anywhere with that attitude of yours, Ichijo."

Jun would have laughed in his face if not for the fact that their coach was just nearby. "You won't be bringing the school any awards this year either, if you hold such an attitude towards your underclassmen, Nagisa." Jun chuckled to himself as he watched Nagisa's face twitch in irritation.

The rest of the day was forgettable; Jun had more important work to do. He wasn't going to be walking around with just forty-five Points left, he'd make himself a walking target. He needed his First Win of the Day, and he knew who exactly to get it from.

In the privacy of the locker room - no one wanted to use it while he was there anyway - Jun opened the list of available combatants: within the school network, there were only two options anyway. He mused over his choices: should he find the newcomer and continue their fight from where he left off? Certainly an attractive idea with no real risk. But on the other hand, if he challenged Mikiseki, maybe he could pry some more information out of her. And she made for a more exciting opponent. Jun made up his mind, selected a name, and hit 'DUEL.'

 _Wham!_ The locker room froze and turned electric blue.

...

 **to be continued.**

...


	6. Partners

**Partners**

.

One moment Mikiseki was busy chatting with her girlfriends, having an animated discussion about the merits and popularity of braided hair. The next moment, her world had turned blue and time itself seemed to stop. Her heart fluttered at the realisation she was being Challenged; there was only one person who would dare ask her for a 'duel' in school, after all.

 **[HERE COMES A NEW CHALLENGER!]**

A grassy savannah plain under a red-gold sky. Mikiseki gasped and held her hands to her mouth; was this the rare Stage she had heard about but never saw? It certainly looked like it - girls who played Brain Burst had said that that was the most romantic environment ever designed, even if it was a bit plain and they had no boys they wanted to share it with. But as the fact sank in, Mikiseki let her hand droop. Of all the times to encounter the Twilight Stage, it had to be with him... Klein Apprentice: upperclassman, close confident, and most recently boyfriend. They'd been together for a few months ever since Mikiseki had finished elementary school.

Her heart hammered as she saw him spawn in the distance, but her legs refused to respond. It was a far cry from when they had started and she felt shy being around him; now, she wasn't sure about where they stood. Brain Burst was probably the main reason they were still together, because...

"Hey, Miki. You look great!" Wading through the grass, Jun grinned and held out his hand.

Because in-game, Jun would shed his outer image and become a totally different person. He might be somewhat dense and stubborn in real-life, but he was enthusiastic and romantic online. Her unsteady smile grew to match his own; was he in a good mood today? She walked towards him and gingerly placed her fingers in his palm, and they walked together as birds flew by overhead. They found a large rock and sat down on it, facing the setting sun.

"Pretty, ain't it?" Jun said, "I've never seen this before. I wonder what's the name of the Stage..." he trailed off, thumbing his menu and scanning the various options.

"It's called 'The Twilight Stage,' Jun," Mikiseki said, "And from what I've heard, it doesn't appear often. Maybe it was just added to the game?"

Jun shrugged, "I've never heard of Brain Burst having a game update. It's so nice for the developer work to just include this pretty scene, right?"

"Yeah." Mikiseki murmured. "Yeah, it is. But why did you challenge me, Jun? I mean... It's so sudden! I was in the middle of a conversation too, so..."

She had hoped she didn't sound like she was whining. Jun frowned, and his hand brushed the hilt of his sword, fingers almost gripping it but not quite. The gesture itself, however, was enough to make Mikiseki lean back slightly. Jun didn't _look_ angry, but she knew him long enough to not take that at face value.

"I just wanted to see you y'know?" he said. "I just finished training and stuff, and uh...I guess it was like that."

Jun was being nice? Well, that was news to Mikiseki. She shrugged and said "I see," simply. An awkward silence filled the space, and she looked away, but then Jun reached out and put an arm around her waist. "Jun- what?"

Mikiseki looked round in shock as Jun raised an eyebrow. "What, can't I hold you?" he asked, "I don't remember you being so distant."

"That's because you never did this before!" she said. She squirmed and wriggled as Jun brought her closer to him, until they were side to side. "There now, is it better?" Jun asked. Mikiseki opened her mouth to say something, but Jun's meaningful gaze halted her. Any complaints she had was a non-issue - if he was making an effort to make up something to her, then he was succeeding: the firmness of his hand on her waist made her shudder with a quiet joy.

It grew quiet between the two of them, the silence broken only by the gentle breeze and the chirp of insects. It looked so good to Mikiseki; gazing at the sky, she could see constellations she had never seen before above. She slid down to the grass and leaned back, resting on the soft ground while she admired the scene. For an online game, the developers of Brain Burst were really going out of their way to include such a beautiful stage as part of the game. Did they really intend it for lovers?

Jun finally spoke. "Look, Miki... I'm sorry about what I said yesterday. Y'know, when I first saw him. I thought...he was more than a friend of yours, since you had to Direct Connect and all." He tried to smile at Mikiseki, but it came out as a grimace. "What's up with him?"

"He's just a classmate, Jun," she said defensively, "Weren't you the one who asked me for help against that player, Guardsman Railgun? I... I thought I could help you if there was... Um, someone else like him. Red and using a gun, I mean." She crossed and uncrossed her legs, hoping it was enough of an explanation.

"Really?" he said. "But why have I been hearing things? Like how he apparently likes you, or..." he trailed off, "Or how _you_ apparently asked him out for lunch? Hmm?" He squeezed Mikiseki hard, causing her to gasp.

"Th-That was a dare!" she shot back, "I didn't really want to do it! It's just a coincidence that the guy they picked was Gunsou! I swear there's nothing going on besides Brain Burst." She held her hands up in a show of innocence. But Jun didn't seem to buy it; his yellow eyes narrowed slightly. "What about him liking you? I've heard he likes to stare at you!"

"Is that jealousy I hear?" Mikiseki said coyly. "Why, afraid that some guy will walk in and-"

" _Yes_ , actually!" Jun snarled and let go of her. He was on his feet in an instant, one hand on his sword hilt. "Why did you have to Direct Connect to him? Couldn't you have given Brain Burst to a girl or something? Is he even good?"

Mikiseki's good mood evaporated, and she got to her feet too. "What's the issue? Weren't you the one who asked me to help you? This is how it is, and it's working! Didn't you know that he-"

"That he what?" Jun growled. He had the advantage in height, and as he stepped forwards, Mikiseki was reminded that her avatar was much shorter than Klein Apprentice. "What did he do? Did he beat Guardsman Railgun?"

"Well ye- No, he didn't," she changed her reply mid-word, "But he dealt a lot of damage to him! Doesn't that count for something?"

"No!" Jun snapped, "He's a loser! I don't need a loser, I need someone who can help! I didn't get this strong just to help a loser out!"

"He's strong," Mikiseki whispered under her breath. A reckless flame lit up her heart and gave her strength. "He's strong, stronger than you think, but you just won't listen!"

"Miki," Jun said very quietly, "You're seeing him, aren't you? Don't lie to me."

"What? No, I'm not! Who told you that!" she spluttered, "What is it with you and Gunsou? Can't you just leave him alone?"

Jun gripped his sword a little tighter. "You're the one speaking up for him. Tell me something first: what do you think of him? Is he a better friend than me? What could he possibly give you-"

"It's none of your business who I make friends with!" she finally snapped, losing her patience. "He's a nice classmate, but you're being a dick to him for no reason!"

The yellow eyes of Klein Apprentice grew dark with anger. "So there _is_ something about him," Jun said, "And you're seeing him behind my back!"

Mikiseki threw up her arms and yelled, "Who the hell cares! Do I look like I belong to you or something?"

A deep purple glow surrounded Klein Apprentice's sword. Mikiseki didn't have to look at his depleting Special Gauge to realise she'd gone too far this time.

" _Yes_."

 _Thwack!_ A single strike sent Mikiseki tumbling through the grass end over end until she finally landed face first in the earth. Spitting out dirt, she rubbed her eyes free of grass and tears - and then a hand grabbed her by her neck and dragged her to her feet.

 _Slap!_ The bamboo sword slammed into her chest, leaving a blazing red streak that sent Mikiseki gasping for breath. Jun completed a circle and practically caned her at the bottom of her legs.

"Ahhh!" Bright red sparks burst forth from her wounds as Mikiseki screamed. She collapsed onto all fours, choking and hiccuping as she fought to hold back another scream. She could never understand why this game had to have simulated pain. She couldn't understand why Jun would hurt her either. She couldn't understand - everything!

Jun grabbed her hair - and with a gut-wrenching tug, pulled her completely off the ground. His eyes were reduced to slits as he stared daggers into her soul. "Apologise!" he snarled. He jabbed the point of the sword into her stomach, eliciting a cry of pain from her. "Let go of my hair!" she sobbed, "It hurts!"

"Say you're sorry first," Jun said, "I said sorry earlier, so now it's your turn. Apologise!" He tugged on her hair again, and watched as her Health Gauge dwindled. Only 30% was left, and as she kicked and struggled, it continued to shrink further.

"I- cough -I'm sorry!" she spluttered. "Just let go of me!"

And Jun did. She collapsed to the ground in a heap at his feet, the crash taking away an additional sliver of Health. He hardly wanted things to go like this; he wished he could just practice sparring with Mikiseki, and not bring up the topic of Gunsou. But it was clearly her fault for defending him!

"Consider this punishment," he said finally. "I don't want to hear anything about you and Gunsou, you hear me?" He raised his sword up, and activated a skill. The blade glowed green and hummed with power, waiting for his next movement to activate it.

Mikiseki coughed and stared up at Jun. "Jun," she said, "Why are you like this? Since when were you so mean to me?"

"Mean? Me?" he replied with a puzzled look. "Mikiseki, you're the mean one! I did so much for you, but you go to him! Am I not your boyfriend?"

Mikiseki reduced her eyes to slits. "Then I don't want to be your girlfriend. Jun, I want to break up."

"Why- You!" Anger and confusion reigned. Jun's grip on his sword slackened for an instant - then anger won out. "How could you! Haah!"

Even as a small part of him protested, Jun resolutely brought his sword down. The green glow of the blade was the last thing Mikiseki saw.

 **[YOU WIN!]**

.

Elsewhere in school, Gunsou ate an after-school snack by himself. He didn't follow Mikiseki or Jun, and was blissfully unaware of the conflict that had just taken place. Not that he was even thinking about Brain Burst, anyway, not when he had a decision to make. Today was Thursday, and by tomorrow he would have to honour his promise to Misawa and uninstall Brain Burst. Or he could lie and keep it - she wouldn't ever know unless he started zoning out in front of her - but that would mean having to put up with Mikiseki and her antics.

Before he knew it, he had separated his food into two portions: a spoonful of rice on one side, and one bite of chicken breast on the other. His fork swung from side to side like a clock pendulum and the arguments for and against. He could eat the rice - he'd always have more of it, but it wasn't tasty. Or he could have the chicken and savour its taste - but that was all he had left. So which would it be? Chicken or rice?

Gunsou sighed. Somehow, he felt like he would regret his decision; he scooped up the piece of chicken and ate it in a single bite. _I should go apologise to Mikiseki_ , he thought as he cleared his plate.

.

Somewhere in Tokyo, another duel had just reached its conclusion. Guardsman Railgun watched as his opponent's Health Gauge dropped to zero, and the familiar 'You Win!' sign appeared. While his opponent groaned and the Gallery booed, he paid them no mind and instead opened his game menu. With more than five hundred Burst Points, he was free to advance to Level Four _and_ have a buffer of Points, just in case he went on a losing streak. As the chatter died down and spectators left the game, he took a deep breath and clicked the button.

 **[YOU'VE REACHED LEVEL FOUR! CONGRATULATIONS!]**

With the familiar fanfare, three new messages appeared. Only one of them - [Pick your Level Bonus!] - was the same from the last two times he had Levelled up. The first of the two new messages was written in glittering gold text:

 **[You may now access the Unlimited Neutral Field! Command: UNLIMITED BURST]**

"Interesting," he said to himself. But the more important message was the last, written in plain black text:

 **[You've acquired a Mystery Prize! Unlock? Y/N]**

He did not hesitate; what was the point when it was a 'mystery' gift? Guardsman Railgun clicked the message. It blinked twice, and then it dissolved into black crystalline fragments, reforming into a rectangular shape - a card of some sort.

 **[You've acquired a Duel Card! Type: SUDDEN DEATH DUEL]**

Guardsman Railgun's eyes widened. He read the rules on the Card, and then read it a second time. By the third time, he was smiling, an ear-to-ear grin that split his face.

"This could come in handy!" He saved the Card into his storage and exited Brain Burst.

.

"Mikiseki! Mikiseki!"

Her lips tightened into a thin line. Mikiseki walked on, resolutely ignoring Jun's calls and pleas. People stared as she walked by them, but they ignored her after awhile - it wasn't unusual for her to turn down boys anyway. Instead, it was Jun who was embarrassing himself, blindly following her, trying to make amends. Make amends, after what he just did to her? She scoffed at the thought.

"Mikiseki, please!" Jun grabbed her arm and brought her to a temporary halt. "Just listen to me for one second-"

 _Pah!_ Mikiseki turned around and slapped him across the face. A red silhouette of her palm quickly blossomed on his face, though it was hard to tell it apart from the rising shade of crimson shame.

"Leave me _alone._ " She said, and left him there to die of embarrassment. A tiny tear formed at the corner of her eye, but she quickly wiped it away.

The mere thought of their 'duel' made her seethe. Didn't Jun realise how much it hurt to hang someone by their hair? After the duel, she had almost broke down crying in front of her friends, all because her scalp suddenly felt like it was on fire! Pain in Brain Burst always carried over to the real world, and whether Jun knew it or not, he had hurt her in more ways than one. She thought back to the day when Jun had mustered the courage to confess to her - and banished the thought from her head. Whatever this version of Jun was, he was no longer the hardworking, brave kid he used to be.

She received a text message - who else could it be? As soon as she saw the name 'Jun' in the address bar, she held up her finger to swipe and delete it. Another ping, another message, and that too was similarly deleted.

"Leave me alone!" she growled to herself. She raised a hand to switch off her Neuro Linker - but then a third message came in. Not a text message - a voicemail, also from Jun. Since when did Jun start sending voice messages? Mikiseki looked around, wondering if he was still following her, but he was nowhere in sight. As she walked to the school gate, she hit 'Play' and braced herself for the inevitable grovelling apology.

"I still love you, Mikiseki. Please forgive my actions," Jun said, "I'll give you something I've been wanting to use for awhile, a special prize in Brain Burst. Will you see me?"

Mikiseki stopped in her tracks. _Love?_ Did that idiot really love her? Then why would he beat her up? She wrinkled her nose at it, but the second part of the message rang in her head: Jun had been hoarding something. What if it was useful?

Her lips slowly formed a smile. Jun was just like Gunsou: always bending over for her if she pushed them the right way. That was how she had got Jun to listen to her after their last quarrel, that was how Gunsou kept coming back to her, and now this was how she was going to make use of Jun before she cast him away. All the girl gossip was true - boys would really give everything for the girls they like!

She turned around and walked back to school, pulling up her messenger app, and typed a single word: [Where?]

Jun had picked a very familiar spot - the Recreation Corner of the library. It was empty at this hour, as most of the students were busy doing cleaning duties or had already gone home. When she arrived, Jun was already there, sitting on one of the wooden chairs with his head in his hands. He got to his feet, scratching his head and already uttering a prepared speech: "Miki, I..."

 _Pah!_ She slapped him again, though with less strength than before. "I don't want to hear it," she said, "Just give me the prize, or we're breaking up here and now."

Jun frantically waved his hands. "Okay, okay! I'm sorry, okay? I'll do as you say."

Mikiseki smirked as Jun reached into his pocket and pulled out a Direct Connection cable, and clumsily attached one end to his Neuro Linker. She toyed with him, snubbing him when he offered the other end of the cable and watching with glee as his face fell. Just as Jun gritted his teeth and curled his free hand into a fist, she reached out and took the cable from him.

"We've had this argument before, Jun," she reminded him, "And I'm going to say the same thing: if you promise to never hurt me again, I'll forgive you."

Jun looked up at her with tears in his eyes. "I'm sorry," he whispered, "Please... Please forgive me."

As Mikiseki took the cable from him, she felt the urge to give him a hug - and quashed it. If Jun wanted her affection, he had to work for it. Putting on a show of repentance with crocodile tears was just not going to bring her back immediately. She connected the cable to her own Neuro Linker, waving away the warning message.

"Well," she said, "What is this prize?"

Jun wiped his eyes and clicked on his Neuro Linker's menu. "It... It was a mystery prize given by the game. I got it when I reached Level Four. It was one of the three things I think all players will get, in addition to the new command and the Level Up bonus."

Jun continued to explain, "The prize... It's like a boost of sorts. When you use it, you get to choose another player and it'll raise them to the same Level, without needing any Burst Points. I had planned to use it for you, but..."

"Give it to me then." She said simply. Jun shuddered at the harshness of her tone, but complied. A dialog box appeared in her vision: **[Do you accept «Mystery Item» from Klein Apprentice? Y/N]**

Mikiseki hit the 'Yes' option. Instantly, the dialog box disappeared, and a crystalline blue card took its place. The card had the words 'EXP BOOST CARD' emblazoned on its side in silver lettering, and on its reverse side, the same instructions that Jun had just explained were written on it.

"So, uh-" Jun began, but Mikiseki unplugged the cable and cut the connection. "That's all, isn't it?" she asked. "Or is there something else?"

Jun shifted his eyes from side to side. "Are you... Uh, are we still okay? Together, I mean?" Mikiseki rolled her eyes. Could Jun be any more stupid than this?

"I haven't forgiven you yet. But I'll think about it." she said at last. With that, she left him the the library all alone.

Jun waited until he could no longer hear her footsteps before cracking into a little smile. "That totally means you do," he grinned to himself. Why else would she say that? It would seem that his acting had paid off...

"...Crap, why didn't I offer to use the Card on her?" The realisation came too late for Jun; his hands shook and he gnashed his teeth. "Damnit!" he cried, "That was such a waste!"

.

It would seem that if Mikiseki didn't want to be found, she couldn't be found. After fifteen minutes of roaming the school, checking their classroom, and even going back to the canteen, Gunsou grimly came to that conclusion. He found a nearby toilet, splashed his face with water and wiped off his face with a paper towel. "Guess I'll just go home then..." he muttered to himself.

When he opened the toilet door, his jaw dropped. Mikiseki was standing outside, and when she saw him, she smiled brightly. "Hey, Gunsou! Where've you been?"

"I- I- Uh," Gunsou struggled for words. Had Mikiseki been following him all this time? But why? "I'm sorry!" he finally blurted out, and bowed his head slightly. "I... I was really surprised by your request, and I, uh, I don't like crowds! I'm sorry, Mikiseki, but I just had to turn you down in front of everyone..."

With his head bowed, he couldn't see Mikiseki's gentle smile. "Hey, don't worry! It was just a prank anyway, haha! But seriously, you mean you'd accept me?"

Gunsou looked up in amazement. Mikiseki - wasn't angry? It sure looked like it, because she hadn't scolded him or anything. "Err... Yeah, I guess?" he twiddled his thumbs nervously, "I mean, it doesn't sound like a bad idea, and..."

"Then let's go!" Grabbing his hand, Mikiseki half-skipped, half-dragged Gunsou along. "I think today's a really good day to go out for a meal. You don't mind, do you?" She turned and beamed at Gunsou, who laughed nervously and tried to match it with a small smile of his own.

"Y-Yeah, I don't mind either."

...

 **to be continued.**

...

 _Author's notes:_  
This will be the last chapter for at least a month. I'm going to China for three months, starting tomorrow, so between studies, travelling, and entertainment I'll have very little time to write. I want to take a break and have fun if I can, too. I have given my best for the last three days of thinking, planning, and writing; I hope you enjoyed reading the chapter, leave a review if you liked it! I'll see you soon.

-Tusjecht.


	7. Rivals

**A/N:** Revised version uploaded on 12th May. Edited main battle, removed ending. See below for more about the edits.

* * *

 **Rivals**

.

"Hold my hand, Gunsou. Not like that, like this! Tighter! You're such a limp fish, I swear."

Gunsou winced slightly as Mikiseki interlaced her fingers with his, and squeezed tightly. Her grip wasn't painful, but Gunsou had never so much as looked a girl in the eyes before, and this was a new and terrifying experience. Mikiseki had finally slowed down her walking speed such that she wasn't dragging him anymore, but they still were out of step with each other; whenever someone passed them, Gunsou would lower his head and look away, while Mikiseki strode past other students and passerbys as though they weren't even there.

"You must be wondering what's happening, hmm?" Mikiseki was saying. "Well, I've got some good news for you; I've got a way for you to Level Up quickly in Brain Burst. Don't worry about where I got it from - he was more than happy to give it to me."

"Well, uh, that's great I guess," Gunsou said cautiously, "But why does this involve a dinner d- Uh...da..." He couldn't say the word. The way Mikiseki held his hand was tight enough to feel like it was one, but the absolute lack of chemistry suggested otherwise. Mikiseki for once paused in her steps and looked at Gunsou, still smiling brightly. "A dinner date? Why, Gunsou, this is only a date if you want it to be," she said.

Gunsou uneasily glanced at a couple across the street. They were sitting on a park bench, and the way their heads were aligned left no doubt about what was going on between them.

"What... What about Jun? Will he get mad?" he said at last. Mikiseki's grip stiffened for a fraction of a second before she replied: "Jun? Jun doesn't matter. He can't do anything to us. Why'd you even ask about him?"

Gunsou shrugged and averted his gaze. "I don't know. I mean... he's your friend, and I've never been in something like this... Maybe I thought it wasn't right."

Mikiseki grinned and took his other hand in her own, albeit more gently. "It's as alright as you believe it to be. C'mon!" Still holding hands, Gunsou and Mikiseki made their way towards the local shopping mall.

It was crowded, as was to be expected of this hour. Swarms of students from other schools roamed its walkways, shopping and eating and browsing the items on display. Mikiseki guided Gunsou to a local coffee joint, and she made her way towards a small, two-person booth. The high walls of the booth cancelled a great deal of the hubbub outside, and Gunsou found that he could hear Mikiseki clearly. A girl only a few years older than them came up to take their order.

"Iced frappucino, please," Mikiseki said, "What about you, Gunsou? This place serves great coffee!" At present, he was baulking at the prices on the menu; a single cup was worth as much as an entire meal! "I'll... I'll have a hot expresso, please. Do you have a student's discount?" With a nod from the waitress, Gunsou finally relented and let her take away the menus. The only things left to look at in the booth were his own hands and Mikiseki's smiling face.

Silence fell as Mikiseki looked at him with large round eyes, clearly expecting him to say something. At last, Gunsou cleared his throat uneasily and asked:

"What brings you here, Mikiseki? I mean, I guess we're here to play Brain Burst later, but this..." he looked around at the coffee joint and realised it was occupied by a fair number of couples. "...Did you have something in mind?"

Mikiseki continued to smile, but perhaps less so. "I like this place," she said nonchalantly. "I used to hangout here with my friends back in Hokkaido, and when I moved here I'd come with Jun and we'd just talk."

Gunsou did not miss the subtle roll of her eyes at the mention of Jun. "Just talk? I see... No, I don't mean anything!" he hastily added as he caught a stare from Mikiseki. "I just can't really imagine a guy and a girl just...talking. I mean... No, maybe it's just me. Things don't really go well when I talk."

Their drinks arrived; Gunsou felt something brush against his leg when he looked up and thanked the waitress. And then he felt it again; a subtle, fleeting contact between pants and stocking-clad leg. He blinked and tried his hardest to not blush, but a giggle from Mikiseki told him he'd failed.

"You're so cute," she commented as she stirred her drink. "Relax! You look like I'm just going to leave you here or something. Don't you talk to people?"

"Misawa, mostly," he admitted, "But no one else." Mikiseki raised an eyebrow at that. "Talking about a girl in front of a girl? One might consider that rude, you know?"

Gunsou felt miffed that she would bring up such a topic, just as he felt his leg being stroked again. Flustered, he glared at Mikiseki, but she merely giggled and took another sip of her drink. She then reached into her bag and pulled out a familiar coil of black cable.

"Shall we?" Mikiseki's gaze invited Gunsou. The cable lay in her hand, waiting for him to reach out and take it. But one question still lingered on the tip of Gunsou's tongue.

"Mikiseki, are you and Jun really friends?"

She blinked. For the first time Gunsou could remember, Mikiseki looked unsure of herself. She glanced from side to side, and coughed. "We... I can't really say that. But what made you think so?"

Gunsou took a sip of his coffee - it lightly singed his tongue even though it had been cooling down. "Well, uh... the first time we met in the library with all of us, I thought you were... You looked embarrassed. Or ashamed of something. Like, like I would when I was caught doing something I wasn't supposed to do."

He thought some more and took another sip, more carefully this time. "Something from earlier too, I guess. I'm probably wrong, it's just a guess. But if it was me and Misawa...even if we had an argument, I wouldn't talk about her like that." He recalled the roll of her eyes earlier, and thought of something. "Are you and him..."

Mikiseki sighed and made a slashing motion with her hand. "Alright, alright Mr Sherlock. Yeah, we had a quarrel. It's our worst in quite awhile." Gunsou wisely remained quiet as experience dictated, and he silently waited for Mikiseki to carry on.

"We were probably in love once," she said quietly. "But everything changed after he got Brain Burst. He stopped paying attention to me on dates, and started talking more about the game. Gunsou, d'you know how boring it is to listen to someone talk about something you're not interested in?"

He nodded. "I hear it all the time," he said, and Mikiseki shot him a quizzical glance. "Anyway, I got tired of listening to him all day and asked him for the game eventually. I wanted to see what it was all about. And... And here we are." she shrugged and looked at Gunsou again, and sighed.

"Did you have a fight?" Gunsou cautiously asked. Mikiseki cast her eyes downwards and nodded. She remained uncharacteristically quiet, so Gunsou shifted in his seat and took another sip of his drink.

Mikiseki glanced at Gunsou, and then at the space besides him. "Hey, Gunsou," she suddenly said, "Scoot over." Confused, Gunsou blinked and wondered if he had heard something wrong.

"Oh, never mind. Shift inside! Lemme come over." And before Gunsou could protest, Mikiseki had switched seats, and forced him further inside the cramped booth such that they were now side-by-side. The chair was too small and Gunsou could feel the heat from Mikiseki's presence as she squeezed in. He blushed strongly. "Mikiseki-!"

"Shhh, don't make so much noise," she said. Finding a comfortable position, she put her elbows on the table and leaned against Gunsou's left shoulder. Her hair tickled his cheek and sent her fragrance washing into his head. He breathed in and all he could smell and feel was the pretty girl by his side. He dared not move a single inch, lest he break the magic of the moment.

"Hey Gunsou. Give me a hug." Mikiseki turned to look at Gunsou, and all he could see this close was her face. The faint trace of colour in her cheeks, the depths of her eyes that spoke of a longing for human connection. He slowly put one hand around her shoulder and held her as close as he dared - or as much as he hoped. Surely something was wrong. What if Jun walked in any moment, found them together, and threw a punch at Gunsou?

And then Mikiseki wrapped her own arms around Gunsou. She put one arm around his waist and pulled Gunsou to her, and she placed her left hand right over Gunsou's chest, just below his heart. It was impossible for her to not notice his skyrocketing heartbeat, or the wonderful shade of ruby he was turning. A small smile lit her her face as she inhaled - the warmth and scent brought back old, sweet memories but at present moment was so much more fulfilling. Here was a boy who wouldn't defy her, hurt her, but for intents and purposes was hers. How had she been such a fool to think the world of Jun when there was such a loyal soul besides her?

She separated from him eventually and picked up the cable. As Gunsou began to return to his natural colour, she took the cable and tied it short, so that it was effectively less than half its initial length. She plugged in one end and held the other out to Gunsou - it was going to be so short, it was barely enough for them to remained sandwiched together like this, just the way she liked. "Shall we?"

Gunsou complied. The instant he plugged in his Neuro Linker, she grinned and clicked on Brain Burst, speaking to him via thought-speak as she clicked on another option.

"It's really simple. We just need to earn enough Points for me to reach Level Three, and with the prize I got, you too will reach Level Three without having to spend any Burst Points."

A window appeared in Gunsou's vision: **[Spring Renascentia wants to Tag Team with you! Accept? Y/N]**

"That's how we're going to fight today," she explained, "People mostly fight together as friends, rather than solo. And honestly, it's more exciting that way! We'll earn Points from both members as well, so this could go pretty fast."

"How many Points are you going to need?" Gunsou asked. "The other day, Ju- he said that he needed five hundred Points to get to Level Four. So..."

"I currently have 198 Points remaining, but going to Level Three takes 300," Mikiseki explained. "But don't worry! Even if we faced opponents who are all Level Two and Level One, beating them both will earn us twenty Points apiece. It's not that hard once you do the math, eh?" she smiled and winked.

"If we don't have any more questions, let's go then! We'll start off by challenging this couple: Cove Fighter and Luka Extinguisher. Okay?"

Gunsou nodded, but apparently Mikiseki wasn't satisfied. "Say it, Gunsou," she tugged on his arm. The boy looked like he might faint from the overdose of physical contact.

"Y-Yes... Mikiseki."

"And call me Miki. I think you deserve it." Leaving Gunsou to look at her in amazement, she pressed the final option confirming their duel opponents. She couldn't press 'Duel' from here, they had to Accelerate. She held up three fingers and nodded at Gunsou.

 _Three... Two... One..._

"Good luck, Gunsou," she whispered out aloud. Gunsou blinked and turned to glance at her-

"Burst Link!" they murmured as one.

 _SLAM!_

Smoke rose into the night sky from countless burning barrels, serving as meager street lighting. Spectators lept, climbed, and shimmied their way up onto balconies and buildings for vantage points as a pair of glowing circles winked into existence. A stocky light blue robot and a slim, shocking pink duel avatar stepped out from them: Cove Fighter and Luka Extinguisher. Cracking his knuckles, Cove Fighter glanced at his surroundings while his partner scanned their opponents' names and Levels.

"Spring Renascentia and Turquoise...Duro," she murmured. "They're the same as us, a Level 2 and a Level 1. You can beat them, Fighter! Please take care of me."

The one she called Fighter cracked a boyish smile and stretched. "Don't worry, I'll keep my promise to your friend. I'm all fer a good fight! Where are they at? Come on out and show us whatcha got!

 **[FIGHT!]**

A pair of blue arrows appeared before Gunsou as he assumed his alternate persona. Cracking his knuckles and feeling a reliable weight in return, he glanced in the direction they pointed, leading his gaze to settle upon a similarly-built blue duel avatar and a short, pink girl robot in the distance. Unlike himself, the other blue avatar - presumably the opponent named 'Cove Fighter' - was much smaller in height. However, it didn't take away from the fact that he was rather well-armoured and muscular. With the way he walked and waved his arms, Gunsou got a distinct feeling that Cove Fighter was a much more confident person than he himself was.

"Tell me the plan again, Mikiseki," he said, trying to move his lips as little as possible. "What do I do?" The lithe green girl by his side swept her hair to the side and patted his back. "Don't you worry about it, just fight them! I have my own ways of taking care of people. Besides..."

She shook her head, as though she had said something wrong. "Don't be afraid! I believe in you, you're stronger than you think!"

"Hey, you two!" the pink girl shouted shrilly; she was even shorter than Spring Renascentia was. "Isn't time to stop talking and start fighting? We're getting impatient here, you know!"

Gunsou glanced at Mikiseki one final time. "Please... Please take care of me." He raised his arms, spinning the metal plates in place for a second before locking them in place with a satisfying 'clink!'

Cove Fighter seemed to nod in approval. "Yosh, that's the spirit!" He assumed a similar pose to Gunsou, but his diminutive size made him look amusing rather than terrifying. Gunsou paused for a moment, then rushed in, raising his right fist and punched. Fighter easily backstepped his attack, as well as the followup, but then Gunsou spun and kicked out with his right leg- only to be stopped short of its mark by Fighter.

"Hey Duro. You don't know much about fighting, do ya?" Fighter remarked, "For a big guy, you fight like a little kid!"

Gunsou shrugged. "You tell me. I just got the game this week."

"Oh really?" Fighter frowned. "And no one taught you? That won't do, that won't... do!"

An uppercut from nowhere caught Gunsou in his chin, knocking his head back and making him stumble. Fighter twisted - and landed an unopposed back thrust towards his abdomen and forcing the off-balance Gunsou on his can. In a matter of seconds, the brawler had all but subdued his opponent, planting a foot in his chest and holding a fist in his face.

"First rule of fightin', dude," Fighter said, "Never take your eyes off your opponent!" All I need is one mistake, and yer toast!"

Gunso winced at the heavy weight on his chest and swatted his hand aside. Rolling to his left and to his feet, he tried to backhand Fighter as he got up, but he wasn't even there anymore! His opponent had anticipated the move and hopped back - rebounded off a wall and sped at Gunsou with a flying kick! With a loud _bang!_ Gunsou was knocked backwards again into an abandoned car, shaving his Health Gauge down.

"C'mon! If I were you, I won't just sit there and wait for the enemy to come! On yer feet, buddy, get up and fight!" Fighter cajoled. Feeling more irritated than inspired, Gunsou got to his feet and lunged at Fighter - who smoothly sidestepped and landed one punch in his side for good measure. "I'm no stationary target! Think! Anticipate where I'll move!" he said.

Gunsou gritted his teeth. Mikiseki and the pink girl were fighting elsewhere, the sound of shrieks and grunts softer and farther away. He clenched his fists and brought armour forwards to his gauntlets, locking the additional weight into place. Rather than charge his adversary this time, he got into a defensive stance, shielding his face with his hands, and opened his left and beckoned with a 'come hither' gesture. Cove Fighter grinned, and kicked off, practically flying towards Gunsou with his arm already stretching forwards, aiming for his face.

Gunsou tried his best – tried to anticipate the attack, raised armour up to his hand to block. But even as he raised his hand, Fighter twisted at the last second and kicked him in the face!

The crowd collectively groaned as Gunsou hit the floor, Cove Fighter's boot grinding him down into the dusty ground. "Give me… A break…" he tried to say, but it came out as a mouthful of dirt as he tried to talk with his mouth closed. Fighter laughed cheerfully and took his foot off, allowing a grateful Gunsou to roll to a sitting position and spit to clear his mouth of sand.

A light blue hand reached down and seized Gunsou by the scruff of his neck – "C'mon, dude, you think tha's a break? We just warming up!" No sooner had he finished speaking did Fighter throw a punch, then another. One fist smashed into his nose, and Gunsou howled in pain. Fighter then sank a knee into his stomach – with Gunsou preoccupied with the feeling of a broken nose, no armour was there to protect him. Slowly, Gunsou's health was shaved down bit by bit as he succumbed to a flurry of punches and kicks, until Fighter evidently got bored and swept his feet out from him. With a resounding crash! Gunsou hit the ground with less than 40% Health, pitiful in comparison to Fighter who hadn't even a scratch on himself.

"Fine man, I guess you really don't know how to fight. So on your feet! No more fancy tricks, no more shows of strength. Just gimme your best shot - or go home!" Fighter smashed his fists together, creating sparks as he shouted. Gunsou glared at Fighter, but got to his feet anyway and lashed out with a kick. Not even breaking a sweat, his adversary hopped up and dodged it.

"Grr! Stay still!" Gunsou yelled as he threw a punch. It was far too easy to read, and all Fighter had to do was to step backwards for his fist to meet empty air. Gunsou punched twice more, then spun around trying to aim a kick at Fighter's legs; instead, Fighter swiftly caught his foot. A devilish grin lit up his face – and he picked up Gunsou, swinging him like a rag doll, and then bodily threw him into a pile of cars!

"No!"

Gunsou briefly experienced flight without wings before he hit the ground with a crash and tasted blood in his mouth. Clambering over to where he lay, Fighter took hold of his right hand, stepped on his shoulder and _pulled_ with a strength that belied his size. Gunsou's eyes popped as fire travelled down his shoulder and back, and no matter how hard he tugged, Fighter did not let go of the arm lock. Red sparks began to leak from his shoulder as his Health Gauge visibly began to fall in the corner of his vision. His arm was definitely going to break-

 _Thunk!_

"...what the hell?" a very familiar voice said. The vice grip on his arm slackened for a fraction of a second, long enough for Gunsou to twist together with his arm and stagger to his feet. He looked up at Cove Fighter-

An iron pipe bent over at a comical angle on his head where it had been used to strike him; Mikiseki clutched the other end, staring in utter disbelief. Cove Fighter, on the other hand, simply shrugged it off as though she had hit him with newspaper. "Whatsa matter, never hit someone with a weapon before?" Fighter reached over and jerked the weapon out of Mikiseki's loose hands. He examined it, then tossed the ruined pipe aside emotionlessly. "Man, it's going to take more than one pipe to stop me-"

Mikiseki lunged, catching his free hand in hers and attempted to pull him away. "Let go of Gunsou!" she yelled, "Stop hurting him!" To which, Gunsou swore he could see Cove Fighter roll his eyes: "You his friend, little lady? He should really know how to fight by now, don'cha think?"

"I'm not little and I'm not a lady!" Mikiseki screeched. Giving up on her fruitless attempt to pull away Cove Fighter, she hopped over to where Gunsou was bent over with exhaustion, and put her hands on his shoulders. " _Aria_ ," she whispered, and half her Special Gauge immediately disappeared; her hands and eyes began to light up with green sparks. "Mikiseki, what are you-?" Gunsou began to speak.

Everyone fell silent the moment the green sparks began to flow into Gunsou's body. A heat, stronger than the warmth from her palms, filled his body, and Gunsou felt an intense relief. The sound of a bottle being filled with water accompanied the rise in Gunsou's Health Gauge – he himself was dumbstruck as it filled from one-third to more than 70%.

"You can heal?" he gasped. A self-satisfied Mikiseki grinned and removed her hands from his shoulder. "Just help me out here, stop them both!" She said that just as she backed away from him slowly.

"Aww, come on…" Nearby, Cove Fighter put a hand to his temple and groaned. "All that hard work, gone in an instant…" Suddenly, his eyes lit up with a flame of determination. "If that's what it takes - UWOH!"

And he dug his feet into the ground, taking great strides like an Olympic runner – but not at Gunsou. With a jolt of realisation, Gunsou turned just in time to see Cove Fighter tackle Mikiseki to the ground. He raised a fist and punched her head in, dropping her Health rapidly as a web of cracks covered the ground where her head was hitting.

"Stop it!" Gunsou cried. He reached them and grabbed Cove Fighter, trying to peel him off Mikiseki; but then a fist came out of nowhere and smashed into his tender nose. Stunned for an instant, Gunsou didn't summon any armour to defend himself, and could only look on as Cove Fighter arched back and slapped him full in the face with the force of a raging bull. Reeling from the impact, Gunsou staggered into a pile of rubble and collapsed. His head was swimming – how could one slap be that powerful? Someone spun him around, and then a light blue arm lithely snaked around his neck and _squeezed._ Gunsou gasped for breath as Cove Fighter doubled down, ignoring his waving arms and half-choked cries.

In the corner of his eyes, green sparks came to life again, invaded his avatar and refreshed his Health again. But he felt no better the second time, only more dread at the thought of facing more pain. How much more was he going to have to take?

"Hey!" Cove Fighter shouted, "Take you and your healing elsewhere! This is bullcrap to fight!" And then in a lower voice, clearly meant for Gunsou alone, "Kid, don't you think something is wrong here?" He loosened the chokehold enough for Gunsou to breathe and open his eyes briefly: Mikiseki was standing there with outstretched hands, smiling grimly as she spent her Gauge on healing Gunsou.

"Mikiseki…help me…" he groaned. He needed something, anything, to get out of this, or he was going to lose, healing or not. But then the girl in green shook her head: "I can't! He'll beat me up too!"

"See what I mean, buddy?" Cove Fighter gave Gunsou a little shake as he tightened the choke further. "You're in trouble, but she ain't doing bull to help. Lemme ask you, would you do the same in her place?"

"I- won't!" Growling in frustration, Gunsou's feet finally found purchase on solid ground; he twisted as hard as he could, until he was facing the side and the chokehold less effective. Straining with all his might, Gunsou began to force armour plates between his neck and the arm keeping him prisoner, shoving them into the cracks. Cove Fighter struggled to keep his grip while Gunsou tugged at his arms – and then in a last, desperate burst of strength, Gunsou dug an elbow into Cove Fighter's chest, denting it slightly and finally breaking the lock. Massaging his throat, Gunsou stumbled and staggered his way back to Mikiseki, where she sighed with relief. "Finally! I was worried you weren't going to make it!" she said.

"Don't mention it," Gunsou muttered. Cove Fighter continued to stare at him accusingly as Mikiseki healed him once more and brought his Health back up. He raised a hand and made an exceedingly rude gesture towards Mikiseki:

"Is that all you going to do for him, little lady? Huh? Stand back and watch from the sidelines? Dude, this girl is baaad news," he turned to Gunsou, dragging his words for emphasis, "Some 'friend' she is! That's Rule Number Two for ya: Don't trust anyone! Fend for yourself!"

"I'll think for myself, thank you very much," Gunsou snarled, though albeit half-heartedly. He pushed everything to the back of his mind; he had opponents to defeat.

Opponents…

"Look at me!" A girl screamed shrilly, "I want in on the action!" Sporting an impressive egg-sized lump on her forehead, Luka Extinguisher rounded the corner and rejoined Cove Fighter. She pointed a finger at Mikiseki, declaring: "I'm going to pay you back double for that! No, a million times, a zillion times more pain!"

"Two can play this game too. Give them everything, X!" Fighter yelled. His pink partner seemed only too happy to oblige - with a flourish of both arms, a nozzle appeared on her wrists, attached to hoses which lead to a small tank on her back. Her shining blue Special Gauge fell from half-full to zero as she stiffened her back-

"Debilitating Haze!" she shouted. A heavy-looking dark cloud sprayed forth and enveloped Gunsou and Mikiseki, who covered their mouths and noses. But the gas didn't smell any different than the surrounding air, which meant...

"...Oh no, we can't see them!" Mikiseki realised. She herself could barely see Gunsou, and only because he was right besides her. The thick haze enveloped them and completely obscured all sight of their surroundings and their opponents. "They could come from anywhere! Protect me, please!"

She crouched and took cover under Gunsou's thick arms. With that understanding, Gunsou doubled the thickness of his arms' plates and covered her. He tried his hardest to spot something, anything that would show his opponents through the smokescreen, but it was like a giant grey blindfold that completely covered his eyes and ears. Even his sense of hearing seemed to be muted...

 _Smash!_ A fist collided with his nose and threatened to smash his face in. As Gunsou groaned and clutched his head, someone else smashed what felt to be a large sheet of metal into his unprotected back. Without being able to see or hear his opponents, he felt like he was fighting ghosts, swinging his arms blindly and meeting nothing but air. "Mikiseki! Help me!" he growled in frustration. As unseen blows rained upon his back, he twisted around and again grabbed nothing but whispers and dust.

"Stay still!" she hissed, and laid both her slim hands on her chest. As Gunsou took a particularly painful blow to his legs, Mikiseki closed her eyes in concentration; green lines from her heart criss-crossed her arms and over to Gunsou's chest, where they glowed bright blue. His Health Gauge rose from half-empty to just under 75% - an unbelievably large amount.

"This is nonsense!" Gunsou heard Luka Extinguisher yell, "What's the point in fighting if she can just heal everything back!" Gunsou glanced at Mikiseki, who merely swept her hair aside and smirked with self-satisfaction. "Why… Why didn't you tell me this earlier?" he finally asked.

"Would you have fought just as hard if I told you that?" she threw the question back. "There's no time - keep fighting!" She pointed at a pair of hazy outlines that weren't there before - Cove Fighter and Luka Extinguisher. Gunsou nodded deeply and raised his fists again.

Even with the advantage in Health, there was surely still some way for the battle to turn in their favour; Gunsou wasn't about to bet that Luka Extinguisher didn't have some trick up her sleeve, and Cove Fighter hadn't even revealed his own skill yet. But if there was anything he had learnt from watching those fighting games, it was that the skill Extinguisher had just used wasn't going to be used again for some time. If even Mikiseki could beat her, he definitely could. No, he should defeat her.

He lowered his hands and charged at Cove Fighter, digging his heels into the crumbling asphalt to build up speed. At the last second, he changed direction with an earthshaking stomp, jumping at Luka Extinguisher and aiming his reinforced leg at her chest - but his kick was body-blocked at the last second with a solid _whump!_ Cove Fighter had jumped into the way at the last possible moment, and threw Gunsou's balance way off. All three of them collapsed to the ground in an unceremonious heap of limbs and curses.

Fighter was first to recover. "This is a team battle; we protect each other!" he yelled, driving his fist into soft, unprotected parts. Gunsou grunted and shifted armour to cover up; just as he did so, a bright green eye lens right in front of him opened wide and blinked.

"Get off me, you fat punk!" Extinguisher snarled. She wriggled a hand free from the pileup and slapped Gunsou as many times as she could, until a reliable blue-green plate slid up his face and shielded him from further abuse. It quickly became insufficient, however, when Extinguisher managed to extricate herself and rolled Gunsou over. The two of them rained blows on him; his hands and feet couldn't block everything, and his Health Gauge began to fall…

"Aria." Mikiseki simply said. Again, Gunsou's Health rose to 65%, hardly any different from the last heal.

Cove Fighter stopped attacking Gunsou, and jerked a thumb at Mikiseki. "You see that? Does that look like the face of a loyal friend to you, who stands by the side and watches everything?"

In the lull, Gunsou quickly got to his feet. If Mikiseki could keep up her healing, all he had to do was answer attack for attack, and eventually they'd win when both Fighter and Extinguisher were out of Health. "She's a friend," he said evenly, "And if she's healing me, isn't that enough? She didn't abandon me at all!"

Both his opponents scoffed, but this time it was Luka Extinguisher who answered. "Friend? Your 'friend' packs a punch, mind you! She's lying to you if she says she can't fight, because she caused this!" She pointed towards the lump on her duel avatar, and numerous other dents where she must have been hit with by the iron pipe.

"And friends don't leave the other for dead, or watch from the sidelines," Fighter continued, "They should teach each other how to stand up for themselves, not let you tank their bull for them. Don't you see, Duro? You're being used!"

"Don't listen to them, Gunsou!" Mikiseki urged him from a distance, "Just finish them! We can win!"

It was that feeling again. Gunsou closed his eyes and shut out everyone – Cove Fighter, Mikiseki, everyone and everything. Why did everyone turn to him for everything, but gave him nothing in return? His mother, his friend, his best friend – what obligation did he have? Couldn't they just leave him alone? He clenched his fist tightly and tried to count to ten. Maybe everything would go away if he counted. Maybe everything would be fine if he let them go.

"One…" he could barely move his mouth. Every muscle in his body was in lockdown, unwilling to move even a single inch. Even his armour stayed frozen to their spots, when they'd normally move around and change places in battle. He was dimly aware that they were still talking to him, trying to get him to listen to them.

"Two…" Someone was tugging his arm, was it Mikiseki? Was it Misawa? He could barely see anything with his eyes shut. Someone slapped his arm now, practically yelling in his ear-

"Listen to good advice when it's being given! Fighter is just telling me what he told me to do, and now you should listen to him! He never says anything wrong!" Luka Extinguisher urged.

But had she been expecting Gunsou to just listen to her like that? In his private space, when he just wanted to be left alone? She failed to notice his trembling hands, nor did she see his teeth grinding against each other. Instead, she took his silence for agreement, and continued: "How about you grow up and realise your mistake?"

Blue eyes lit up from within Turquoise Duro and blazed with agony. Lifting one hand high above his head, Gunsou barely felt himself as he tripled the amount of armour surrounding his fist – and brought down on his tiny opponent like he was squashing a bug.

 **[LUKA EXTINGUISHER HAS LOST!]**

With a gentle sound of shattering glass, Luka Extinguisher's body disappeared into a storm of glittering polygons - and reformed a second later at the edge of a faraway balcony, still screaming curses to anyone who would listen. Her Health Gauge had gone blank; instead, the word "SPECTATOR" appeared in place of the blue bar.

But Gunsou was no longer paying attention to minutiae. With the disappearance of Luka Extinguisher, he needed someone, anyone to vent his rage and frustration. Wasn't it convenient then that Cove Fighter was right before him? Cove Fighter quickly slid a foot back and raised a fist in a 'come hither' motion.

"Gunsou, no!" Mikiseki screamed, "Don't attack him now!" But her words never reached him: he drew a fist back and felt every plate on his body shift; his Special Gauge fell as he finally activated his Special Move for the first time. There had been no time to use Vault Breaker before, but there was no better time than now. He felt a raw energy flow through his body from his head to his toes. Beyond, Cove Fighter stared silently.

"Ahh!" Gunsou let it all out – his frustration, his anger, everything was channelled into one shout and one punch as he screamed forwards –

Cove Fighter spun out of the way. Gunsou was going too fast to stop – as soon as the dash was over, all Fighter had to do was to kick him in the back, sending him into a messy tumble into the dirt.

"Ha ha ha! Was that his Special Move? It missed!" Laughter echoed from all around Gunsou. The Specators had seen it all – his outburst, his attempt to kill Cove Fighter, and now his spectacular failure. He was useless, wasn't it? He couldn't even win a single fight… He remained in that undignified pile of limbs and armour, hiding his face from everyone.

"That'll do, Gunsou. I'll take it from here." With the crunch of metal of gravel, Mikiseki walked past him and towards Cove Fighter. He tucked his chin into his chest, far away from the sounds of battle. He watched the Health Gauges impassively as they rose and fell. Well, only Mikiseki's was rising at regular intervals. As the Timer ticked down, eventually Cove Fighter's Gauge hit zero, and the duel reached its conclusion:

 **[YOU WIN!]**

Gunsou blinked. They were back in the coffee place, with couples, his espresso, and...

"That was awesome!" Mikiseki gushed. She turned and hugged Gunsou enthusiastically, burying her face in his chest. "Oh, did you see that look on Luka Extinguisher's face after the battle? It was so satisfying! Take that!" She pumped her fist excitedly. "...Gunsou?"

Gunsou had turned away and buried his head in his hands. "...yeah, w-we did it, Mikiseki," he said softly.

Her face seemed to fall slightly, but she recovered quickly and beamed. "Another one! Let's go!"

Gunsou took another gulp of his remaining espresso. "How many more Points do you need?" he asked. Mikiseki ignored him and continued to scroll through a list. "Who cares, haha! That was a great one, let's keep going!" She bounced in her seat and inadvertently rubbed herself against Gunsou, who opted to look away and pretend nothing had happened. Mikiseki had to tug his hand to get his attention back.

"Hey, look at me when I talk to you! We're taking on this team next: Auroral Gazer and Plasma Horizon. Are you ready?"

Gunsou took in a deep breath - trying to forget about the phantom aches and pains. How many more battles would he have to fight? Mikiseki was already counting down towards that world of duelling again.

"Burst Link." they murmured together.

In the end, they fought six battles in all that evening, winning five of them and hundred and fourteen Burst Points. After their final battle, they had waited for the Spectators to disappear before Mikiseki took out the Experience Boost Card - adorned with glittering sapphire gems in its corners - and raised Gunsou to Level Three. Instantly, a congratulatory message appeared, followed by another one with less fanfare:

 **[You have accumulated two Level Up Bonuses! Pick your Level Bonus now? Y/N]**

"Mikiseki, what's this?" Gunsou asked. His finger hovered over the buttons, but then Mikiseki seized his wrist and instantly mashed the 'YES' icon.

"Hey, what-" he began, but Mikiseki grinned and shushed him. "These are really important! They determine which part of your avatar gets stronger. You could improve one of your current skills, learn a new skill, or choose to receive an Enhanced Armament! As for Armament, uh," she added, catching Gunsou's confused look, "You remember the weapons Auroral Gazer and Plasma Horizon used? Those are Enhanced Armaments: pieces of equipment separate from the duel avatar. You could still fight without them, but of course it'd be much, much more difficult."

"Look at your choices!" Mikiseki prompted. Gunsou examined them in turn, scrolling down the list, albeit a short one:

He could learn a new skill called _Frozen Gauntlet_ , which empowered his kicks and punches periodically with extra 'ice-attack affinity,' it said, and gain immunity to ice attacks. But it honestly sounded like a gimmick.

He could also pick up an Enhanced Armament called 'Hunter's Crossbow,' an arm-mounted item that let him shoot metal projectiles at enemies from medium range. It sounded particularly tempting - but when he remembered the ease at which Guardsman Railgun had demolished him, what good was little metal arrows?

So that left the last and most basic - increasing the power of _Saint's Fist_ , which would boost his defensive strength. He glanced at Mikiseki, but she held up her hands in a gesture of 'I-don't-know.' Sighing and feeling a familiar sensation of finality, Gunsou hit the last option and felt his armour plates quiver for a brief moment as they were...upgraded?

The second Level Up Bonus was decided in a similar fashion. Gunsou eschewed the options of additional brass knuckles and a rocket-powered punch in favour of increasing Saint's Fist strength again. Besides, he had finally gotten the hang of Vault Breaker, in the last battle: after a brief charge, it propelled Gunsou's fist forwards at incredible speed and power until he had hit something or had travelled a short distance. _No need to repeat what I've already got,_ he thought to himself. Mikiseki was decidedly quiet about his choices, but she kept her thoughts to herself as Gunsou made his choices and felt his armour vibrate and thicken noticeably.

"Are you done? We can Burst Out and quit anytime now," Mikiseki said. Gunsou was about to nod, but then a question struck him.

"Mikiseki, don't mind me asking, but what did you pick for your Bonuses?" he asked. "If it's a secret, it's fine then..."

She giggled and covered a hand with her mouth. "It's alright! I just opted to strength my healing ability, that's all. Do you mean, why wouldn't I choose something that'd help me fight?"

Had he been read that easily? Gunsou nodded guiltily and clasped his hands. "Yeah... I mean, the battles we've fought have only gotten tougher. Why don't you think about yourself?"

"Silly Gunsou," she dismissed with a flick of her hair. "I've got you, don't I? You'd always protect me if I ask you to, right?"

 _She's...got me?_ Gunsou wondered if she had another meaning to those three words. Nobody had ever told Gunsou they needed him before. In the end, he shrugged his shoulders and said: "...Yeah, I guess so."

With his head tilted down, he didn't see Mikiseki's broad smile. "Well then, c'mon! Let's go get dinner. Aren't you hungry by now?" she asked.

Gunsou nodded in agreement. With a chorus of "Burst Out!" they returned to the coffee joint again.

The combined exhaustion of six continuous fights took their toll on the young man's psyche. Too tired to unplug the cable, Gunsou untied the knot Mikiseki had made with some difficulty and immediately keeled over, resting his head on the cool table. He had finished his espresso before the sixth fight, but it felt like an eternity ago that he had ordered the drink. Just how much time had passed?

"Aww, you must be beat! You really gave it your all, huh?" Mikiseki cooed from somewhere above. Gunsou turned to face the other side: Mikiseki was smiling brightly as usual, as though six duels in a row was small change for her. Either that, or he was just too busy looking at her beautiful eyes...

" _Otsukaresama deshita_ ," she whispered, "Thank you for your hard work, Gunsou."

And then she leaned in and kissed his cheek. Too tired to even move away, Gunsou laid there and closed his eyes, feeling her amazingly soft lips and her intoxicating warmth on his cheek. She parted after a tense moment, leaving a blushing and confused Gunsou.

When he regained control of his senses, Gunsou said, "Wha... Why'd you kiss me for, Mikiseki? Isn't a kiss... Well, something you save for... For lov..."

Mikiseki looked at him as though he had three heads. "Are you that dense? I'd give anyone I like a kiss. And what's wrong with that-?"

They both realised it at the same time. Gunsou's eyes widened, while Mikiseki blushed and looked away for a moment. Finally, she turned back to look at Gunsou, her cheeks slightly flushed. "Uhh... I..."

 _No way,_ Gunsou thought, _no way this can be true. No girl would love me. No one would want me._ Those thoughts slowly ground to a halt, as did everything else in his brain as Mikiseki leaned in towards him. He could feel her breath on his face now.

Mikiseki's eyes fluttered and her lips opened slightly-

...

 **to be continued.**

...

 _Author's notes:_  
I made a mistake. A mistake that contradicted the aim of writing _Mirishira Accel World_ in the first place - to not write a wish-fulfilment story. Why should Gunsou, an untrained and new player, win his first real fight when he doesn't know anything about fighting, and his opponent has the word 'Fighter' in his name?

A large portion of this chapter was completely rewritten; only the first part covering about 2000 words was untouched. The vast majority of the chapter - everything after the point when they first accelerated - has been completely rewritten to reflect new insights into writing a character who doesn't get everything he wishes for. It ties in closer with the theme of ' _Rivals_ ' - what makes your enemies your enemies, and how can you tell who are your friends? There's a lot more clues now and I hope you can catch most of them.

And then I deleted the last part too, which involved Railgun meeting Apprentice and then giving an offer of the Sudden Death Duel Card. I talked to Optimura, and while I don't necessarily agree with him that it's too early for one to take place, it's hard to answer the other question: Why is there the need for the Sudden Death duel at all? If it's just to create tension, there are other ways. Isn't it to kill someone? But Gunsou is in no state to kill anyone!

Basically, this is what happens when you write in a hurry and don't double check at every step, from planning to writing to editing. I think I learnt a very valuable lesson here.

Here's to you, Optimura. **tips hat**

-Tusjecht


	8. Feelings

**Feelings**

.

Gunsou pushed her away.

He didn't even think about it, it just felt right. Right as her hair tickled his face and her lips closed in, Gunsou firmly gripped her shoulders and shoved, hard enough to forcefully disconnect the cable linking their Neuro Linkers. As Mikiseki stared and blinked, Gunsou averted his eyes as his face reddened, but he nevertheless took his hands off her shoulders. They had no place there and neither did he, in fact.

" _They should teach each other how to stand up for themselves… You're being used!"_ Cove Fighter's words came back to Gunsou and stirred something in the depths of his heart: doubt. It gripped him like a frozen fist in cold and unforgiving clarity as he replayed every waking moment he had shared with Mikiseki. And even in Brain Burst, when he was helpless and in need of assistance, the beautiful girl with green eyes had shook her head and stood back. But didn't Mikiseki finish off Cove Fighter on her own? Was she lying about her weakness, lying about her strength? And if that was the case, what if she was lying about everything? "No," Gunsou said softly, "You don't actually need me, don't you?"

Mikiseki's eyes flared up and she frowned. "Of course I need you, Gunsou, what makes you think I don't? And you have me, don't you? You j-just said that a minute ago!"

"But…" Gunsou began, unsure of his choice of words, "I'm not sure about that. That even if you have me… I don't have you." The pieces began to come together in his head and gave him strength. "Mikiseki, you don't actually need me, do you? You just need someone to fight your battles, save you when you're in trouble, protect you when you need to be shielded, isn't it?"

When Mikiseki didn't respond, Gunsou kept talking. His hands trembled slightly but he knew he was onto something: "When you got bored of playing with the same person over and over again, you wanted someone new that you could teach, isn't it? I mean, I kinda understand, it's boring when you're learning all day and never get to practice, huh?"

"You- You're wrong!" Mikiseki shot back, but her blushing face said otherwise. "We- I needed you! Jun and I couldn't stop Guardsman Railgun, I needed to get stronger on my own! You weren't there, you don't know how many times I had to give up my Points to Jun just because he said so!"

"And so what?" Gunsou said, "So I'm just free Points to you? It's okay if I'm suffering because I'm not Jun, is it? I gave you time and attention for your sake, but you embarrassed me in front of others, and you won't give me anything back? What happened to me having you?"

"You idiot! I gave you free Points! You got to Level Three with my help! Without me, you'd still be a Level One, being stomped on by the stronger players; can't you see I'm helping you? And you dare take my kindness for granted, you didn't listen to me at the crucial time – you're a brainless degenerate!" Mikiseki raised her hand, too fast for Gunsou to see, and-

 _Slap!_ Mikiseki smacked Gunsou on his cheek, bumping his head against the booth wall and leaving a rapidly blossoming silhouette on his face. "You don't understand a thing! You're unappreciative and insensitive, you only see what's happening to you when I'm the one giving you what you want! If you're so unhappy – then leave!"

But Gunsou was trapped between her and the booth. Wiping a single tear from her eye, Mikiseki swept up her bag and swiftly left the coffeeshop. It was absolutely silent, save for the hubbub of the mall outside – everyone was staring at Gunsou with undisguised shock and disapproval. Whispers passed around in the crowd as Gunsou clenched his hands and looked down, his ears as red as Mikiseki's handprint. _She…She!_ Gunsou punched the seat in frustration as he replayed her last line in his mind. _How dare she say it like that, when I'm the victim!_

Barely controlling himself, Gunsou quietly got up and paid for their drinks – Mikiseki hadn't even paid for her frappucino – and left with his head hung in shame. The sun was setting outside, dark clouds were gathering, and then suddenly, Gunsou received a text message:

[Mum:] Where are you? It's dinnertime.

 _Crap_. Gunsou's blood ran cold as he checked the time; it was 6.03pm. Even if he got on the bus home now, he'd still be inexcusably late. And the wrath of his mother was surely waiting…

"Can this day get any worse?" Gunsou gritted his teeth. Pedestrians walked by and heard his anguished whisper, but ignored him.

.

"Where have you been? It's way past your dinnertime and your food got cold!" Gunsou's mother stood in the doorway, looking down on Gunsou with a beady eye. He hung his head and stared at his feet, fidgeting with his hands as he contemplated coming up with an excuse – but with the way things were, lying to her might actually make things worse.

"Mum, I…" he began, "I was out at the mall with a friend. We went to have a cup of coffee, and…"

"Who did you go with? Why didn't you tell me anything?" Mayumi's voice cracked like a whip. "You're supposed to come home on time and study! Or did you join a club?" Gunsou shook his head.

"Did your class have an external activity? Again, he shook his head, and then she threw her hands up in irritation. "Then who were you with?"

"A… A girl." Gunsou mumbled. Mayumi leaned forwards and tilted her head, "Speak up, boy, I can't hear you!"

"A g-girl! I was following my classmate, she said she wanted to see me after school, and…" Gunsou trailed off. How was he going to explain Brain Burst? Better to keep quiet and just say that they had a drink.

But rather than lash out at him, Mayumi suddenly fell silent. She frowned for a moment and looked sternly at Gunsou; he gulped and averted his eyes. Was he in trouble?

"Come in," she said simply, and walked back into the house. Dumbfounded, Gunsou took off his shoes and followed her to the empty dining table. Traces of porridge and pickled vegetables lingered in the air. Gunsou nervously took his seat while his mother sat down heavily and rubbed her temples. She glanced at Gunsou once and sighed. "I guess it's time…" she mumbled.

"Gunsou," she said determinedly, "Do you know how… babies are made?"

"N..No, I don't." Gunsou answered truthfully. "But what does that have to do with…?"

"You see. When a man and a woman… Love each other, so to say," she grimaced and gestured with her hands, "They go to bed together, and-"

"Don't they hold hands and k-kiss?" Gunsou interrupted. "Wait, that's surely not the point… Mom!" Gunsou blushed and waved his hands frantically, "I'm not- We were not doing that! I don't like her at all!"

"And they take off their clothes," his mother continued, as though she hadn't heard anything, "Before they go to bed and sleep together-"

"Stop it, Mom!" Gunsou yelled, "We fought! I don't like her at all – I hate her! She's not a nice girl at all!"

"And in the morning, they- oh?" Mayumi blinked owlishly and stared at her son. "So, you and that girl, you're not dating, uh?"

Very red in the face and clenching his hands, Gunsou shook his head as hard as he could. "There's no way it's happening anymore." He said. She raised an eyebrow in surprise and shrugged, leaning back in her chair. "Oh well, that's good. At least you're not like your father, bringing back the smell of perfume and lipstick on him. How many nights did he do that, I wonder? It's been awhile, I don't remember anymore."

Gunsou ground his teeth. "Don't… Don't talk about me like that…"

"Don't you dare use that tone of voice on me, young man," Mayumi snapped, "What gives you the right to talk back to your mother? You know, you interrupted me earlier, and-"

"-And I'm NOT Dad!" Gunsou shouted, "Stop talking to me like I'm him! I don't like Dad, I don't like you speaking like that, I don't like everything! I hate this, I hate Mikiseki, I hate everything!"

Gunsou wrung his hands and stamped his foot on the thin floor – the low _thud_ echoed through the tiny house. "Why do you keep bringing Dad up? Can't you just forget about him? Isn't it easier to not think about him? I don't understand!"

"You won't!" Mayumi suddenly shouted, "You're just a little boy – what do you understand? Did you think life is as easy as forgetting something? Or wishing it away? Wake up your stupid little idea! There's so much more responsibilities and work that I have to bear for our sake when he left! Have you any idea how hard it was for your mother? How much agony I had to endure?"

Mayumi held a hand to her thin, bony chest. "How could you be so unappreciative? Is that how far you've taken things for granted? I'll tell you something better – if you're so unhappy with that I've given you – then leave!" But rather than shock her son into submissive silence, Mayumi's words elicited an odd look from Gunsou as he stared at her. He slowly lowered his hands to his side and blinked.

"So that's how it is, huh. Fine... Maybe I will." Gunsou whispered and turned. Shuffling his feet, he headed for the door and opened it.

"Wait, come back here, young man! I said, come!" Mayumi screamed after him. It gave Gunsou pause for one moment at the door, but he closed the door quietly anyway.

When it shut, Gunsou stared at it for the better part of a minute. Half his heart hoped she would reopen it and call him back, the other half was afraid of facing her wrath. The door stayed shut, and with it the tiny hope that she would call him back faded. Putting on his shoes, Gunsou turned and left the apartment block, walking into the lonely night.

He shivered as the wind howled and flapped at his thin uniform – in his rash decision to leave the house, Gunsou had forgotten to put on a jacket. It was April, not quite spring but not quite summer either. The chilly wind persisted and blew down the street; Gunsou rubbed his hands together for warmth. If it rained out here, he would be in big trouble. He'd definitely catch a cold no matter how short a time he stayed out. He began to walk down the street, crossing a road to a convenience store. The lone employee greeted him robotically as he looked up from the countertop, handling the payment of several customers; Gunsou ignored them and went to buy a cup of hot chocolate to-go, noting with a grimace the depleting balance in his e-wallet. A warning appeared on his Neuro Linker's interface, warning that he had less than a hundred _yen_ remaining.

He found a nearby park bench and sat down, sipping his hot chocolate and trying to control the trembling in his hands. Was this how it felt like to be homeless? Maybe not quite, but he certainly felt like it. Shamed at school, unwanted by his mother, and even his best friend… Gunsou shuddered at the thought. If Misawa was at home then she surely had heard their argument. Would she side with Gunsou or reject him all the same? Gunsou didn't want to find out, he didn't want to be hurt anymore. A light breeze chilled him and Gunsou shivered. People walked past with windbreakers and warm clothing, and Gunsou gazed after their sleeves longingly. His own jacket was getting too small for himself, but he had no savings to buy a new one.

Flicking through his Neuro Linker's menu, Gunsou's gaze settled on the strange new icon shaped like the letter 'B.' After all the trouble he had gone through with it, was it worth keeping it anymore? If he got rid of it, would all his problems disappear? Gunsou right-clicked on it and slowly scrolled down to 'Uninstall.' A popup appeared, asking him for confirmation: once he got rid of it, there was no going back. Would he regret this? Was this the right choice? Gunsou's fingered hovered over the pop-up -

 _SLAM!_

…the decision was postponed by the rude interruption. For the seventh time today, Gunsou's vision faded to black and he assumed his alternate persona. The warmth of the hot chocolate faded from his hands, replaced with the cold metal of Turquoise Duro's armour.

 **[HERE COMES A NEW CHALLENGER!]**

At the end of the street, a bright red circle flared to life: spinning, expanding, and revealing the duel avatar within. Guardsman Railgun stepped out and adjusted his baseball cap with his free hand, while his right hand folded and unfolded from oversized railgun to mechanical arm and back.

 **[FIGHT!]**

The timer began to count down from 1800 seconds. Gunsou eyed his adversary, and looked around the road – at the top of the low buildings, a bunch of Spectators had gathered, many of them pointing at him and whispering among themselves.

"How is it," Guardsman Railgun waved from the end of the road, "That you're Level Three in a single evening but only won five battles in a Tag Team? Did you cheat somehow? Where else did you find five hundred Burst Points to Level Up twice? Or don't tell me," he took a step back in mock horror, "You've found some secret skill? Beat someone up over and over again and took all their Points? My my, I didn't know you had it in you…"

Railgun unfolded his arm with a snap. "Anyway, it doesn't matter. This morning, you gave me a hella hard time, and here's my revenge. I don't know why I can challenge you twice today – maybe it's because you're on a win streak or something – but let's run that again. One fair fight, no tricks, just you and me. No breaking the road, either," he added, "This is the Demonic City stage. Not even my gun can break the walls and ground here."

Gunsou just stood there, not really processing what Guardsman Railgun had said. Maybe, if he lost enough times, he'd lose Brain Burst. Mikiseki had said that losing all your Points would do that. Then…

"What are you waiting for?" Gunsou called, "Just do it. I'm here." He spread his arms limply for emphasis. From this distance, he couldn't tell, but it seemed that Guardsman Railgun was frowning.

The hesitation in his eyes vanished. Railgun stuffed three rounds into his weapon, raised it and sighted through the iron sight. Gunsou closed his eyes and waited-

 _Boom!_ The first round hit his chest, knocking him flat onto his back. Groaning, Gunsou staggered to his feet, feeling a dull ache. He looked at his chest and saw that the chestplate was bent in, barely stopping a lump the size of a golf-ball. It was still smoking when it rolled off his chest and hit the floor with a dull _thunk._

 _Boom!_ Gunsou felt it first this time as the round smashed into his head; no armour came up to his defense. The impact slammed his head into the ground this time; eyes watering, Gunsou opened his eyes and saw stars. His Health Gauge had instantly been drained to 75% from that one round to his head – did head shots count for more, or was it because he hadn't even tried to protect himself?

Footsteps drew closer as Gunsou closed his eyes and laid on the ground, waiting for the inevitable blow. He waited for the rasp of metal on metal as Railgun drew nearer, he hoped for a quick and relatively painless end. "Just do it," he mumbled, "End this and let me uninstall this stupid game."

"You what?" Surprise crept into Railgun's youthful voice. "Hey, why aren't you fighting? Aren't you blue-types always ready to talk with your fists? C'mon, get up! It's no fun if you just lie there."

Gunsou opened an eye: Railgun was standing over him, his confusion plain to see. Gunsou blinked, then raised his foot and kicked Railgun lightly. Sparks flew and Railgun staggered from the kick: his Health Gauge fell to 95%. "There, I did some damage. That's all that's needed, isn't it?"

"Are you an idiot? Dude, what's wrong with you? This morning, didn't you try to fight so bad? You hit me real hard earlier, and now… Hey, if this is a trick, I still have one bullet left. I'll kill you before you can move a muscle." Railgun narrowed his eyes and touched the end of the gun's barrel to Gunsou's chest.

"I'm breathing. My chest is moving, therefore I'm moving. Shoot me then?" Gunsou murmured. "Just get over with it already. I… I don't feel like fighting anymore." He shut his eyes and waited for the inevitable head shot. Already, his chest was beginning to ache as an aftereffect of the opening shot. "In fact, I don't want to play anymore. There's no point to Brain Burst, I'm just hurting myself…"

"Dude. _Dude_." Railgun took off his weapon from Gunsou's chest and nudged him with his foot, "Don't make me look bad here, people don't like curbstomps like this. Isn't it more exciting if you at least try?"

"What's the point of trying?" Gunsou said gloomily, "Everything I try or do just makes things worse. What if I stop trying? Things will get better, don't they?"

A long silence followed as Guardsman Railgun stood up and frowned. Now, winning this fight, even by time-out, felt bad because he hadn't earned it in a sense. Yes, he had shot Turquoise Duro in the chest and head – the latter was a critical headshot – but it still felt wrong to shoot a defenceless opponent, let alone one that wasn't even trying. Just what had happened to Duro to change so drastically from this morning to now? It had to be linked to why he was suddenly a Level Three now, and that brought up a question in its own right – was there a way to Level Up quickly without spending Points? And how could he keep this information to himself?

There was a way, but his spirit-less opponent still had to accept it. Opening his Menu, Railgun sent Gunsou a request – not for surrender, but for something he had never seen before: **[Accept change to 'CLOSED MODE'?]** "What… What's this?" Gunsou asked.

"This removes all the Spectators from the game. C'mon dude, I don't know what's bothering you, but maybe we could talk about it privately, y'know. Uhh… Just press yes. I don't really care, but if you don't want to have an audience…"

Indeed, every Spectator had crept as close as they dared to get to Railgun and Duro. Glancing at the simple popup, Gunsou sighed and clicked 'Yes': every other duel avatar around them vanished, leaving Railgun and Duro in an empty street.

"Yeah… That's Closed Mode. No one to disturb you for the rest of the battle, and the only thing they can see is our Health Gauges. Mind answering a few questions now?" Sitting down on the ground, Guardsman Railgun folded up his weapon and flexed the fingers of his right hand. "How'd you get to Level Three?"

Confused for a second, Gunsou thought back to the day's events. "It was… It was a blue card of some sorts. A Boost Card or something, it was written on the side. Mikise… I mean, Spring Renascentia used it on me to raise me to her current Level."

" _Boost Card_?" Railgun repeated, "Where'd she get it from? Did she say who?" Gunsou shook his head and said softly: "…She didn't say."

The silence grew awkward between them. "So, uh, why the long face today?" Railgun asked. "At least you tried this morning. Now it's like, you lost a pair or something. What'sa matter with you?"

"Would you even care if I told you?" Gunsou glared at Railgun, "Everyone I talk to doesn't care, so why would you?"

Railgun took a step back from Gunsou. "Easy now, I ain't got a beef with you. I just wanna know why you've given up; I've even closed our duel for the time being! Whatever you say here stays here. C'mon, what's bothering you?"

Something about his sincere, rough speech, his outstretched hands and raised eyebrows told Gunsou that Railgun wasn't joking with him. But when he remained silent, Railgun's eyebrow twitched as he leaned in and said, "Look, I can't exactly read your mind, Duro. How did you Level Up so fast, and why aren't you happy about it?"

Gunsou glanced at him and sighed explosively. "I didn't even ask for it! All I know is that she- Renascentia told me to fight with her, and that she'd get me to Level Three. And then at the end, she started saying something really strange and I pushed her a little – just to get away from her, but then she yelled at me in public and left me there to pay for her drink! It's not fair at all!"

Railgun surveyed the blue-green avatar with a curious eye. So this guy was playing a game he didn't like? "Then, why are you playing it in the first place?" To which, Turquoise Duro shrugged his huge shoulders: "I don't know," he said sardonically, "Tell me about it. I was just told to play it to help her, and…" he trailed off, then buried his face in his hands. "This sucks."

"Didn't you say…anything?" Guardsman Railgun folded his arms and stared down. "Just say something, tell her how you feel! I wouldn't have kept quiet, I'd say!"

"It's not that simple! You think it's so easy to talk to a girl? I'd rather wash dishes a thousand times than talk to her once now…" Gunsou wrinkled his nose in disgust and turned away from his crimson opponent. The timer slowly ticked down second after second as he sat there, waiting for something to happen.

"You know…" Railgun finally said after a long moment, "You could just not listen to her. Be yourself. Staying with someone like that is just letting her use you. Don't you get it? You don't have to listen to her."

Gunsou instinctively shot back, "That's stupid! I'd…" but then the rest of Railgun's sentence stuck in his head. Why was he staying? Was he hoping to be more than friends with her? A thought flashed through his head: Mikiseki holding hands with Jun, all smiles as they walked out of school together. And the fact occurred to him that she had never actually said something to the contrary…

"…I was stupid." He mumbled, and hunched over. "I don't know what to do."

Railgun rolled his eyes. "So, are we going to sit here and talk all day, or are we gonna fight? It's been Closed Mode for ten minutes, I want to get some action!"

When his opponent failed to respond, Railgun smacked Gunsou on his arm as hard as he could – shaving a sliver of Health off in the process. "Come _on!_ Forget about what happened, this is just a game! What you do doesn't matter to her, isn't it? I don't know how important she is to you, but if I had to guess, she doesn't really care about you. So get up and fight!"

Railgun unfolded his arm into its weaponised form, racking the slide back and loading one round into place. The armour plates on Turquoise Duro, having remained still all throughout their talk, jerked suddenly as though shocked, and then began to shift. Gunsou turned to look at Guardsman Railgun, and for the first time since the start of the fight, Railgun could see a burning anger behind his yellow eyes.

"You want some? Come get it! Yeah!" Dancing out of arm's reach, Railgun waved his weapon, taunting his opponent. His opponent got to his feet, locking armour into place all along his arms and chest. He leaned forwards and bent his knees slightly, preparing to jump.

Railgun quickly adjusted the game's setting's with his left hand: he clicked **[Closed Mode: OFF]** , and immediately four or five avatars who were still watching the match reappeared in the distance.

As though it was a starting signal for them, Gunsou half-squatted and sprang for Railgun. His enhanced armour granted him additional strength, enough for him to soar high into the air in a parabolic arc-!

But Guardsman Railgun was ready. Swiftly turning out of the way, Railgun barely managed to clear a hasty swipe by Duro, and as he completed his turn, he raised his weapon and unloaded a round into his opponent's face!

 _Boom!_ For whatever reason, Railgun missed the point-blank shot. The round instead carved a centimetre-deep scar down Duro's chest plate, instantly heating it to a thousand degrees and singed Gunsou's chest. It continued on straight until a solid turquoise plate at Duro's hip stopped it, preventing further damage. Gunsou could still feel the bullet's impact though, which was why he clutched his hip and howled in pain.

"You… You! That hurt!" he yelled. But Guardsman Railgun blew smoke out of his barrel and just grinned. "Well then, come on and make it stop!"

Gunsou's eyes blazed with undisguised frustration. "Come here!" Staggering to his feet, he limped his way towards Railgun, who skipped away and reloaded his gun. When he was about twenty metres away, he aimed squarely at Duro's face. He had plenty of practice aiming from this distance: it would be like shooting fish in a barrel!

Gunsou saw the gun, knew the pain was coming, and threw his hands up to protect his face. He willed his armour to respond, and in a fraction of a second, half a dozen plates raced up from his legs and stomach to shield his head and arms.

 _Boom!_ A hammer blow struck Gunsou and all the armour surrounding his head – but he didn't fall. His arms tingled unpleasantly where the round had struck, but he seemed no worse for the wear. Guardsman Railgun frowned and checked his weapon: had he missed again? He certainly hadn't, unless…

"Haah!" Charging straight at his opponent, Gunsou raised a fist, enlarged it with armour, and hoped for the best. Railgun stared incredulously and brought his arm to bear, aiming where he hoped the armour was weaker-

 _Boom!_ The third and last round in Railgun's weapon flew straight and true, hit Duro's exposed leg, and tore it to shreds.

"Haa- Augh!" Gunsou's shout turned into a strangled cry of pain. He collapsed at Railgun's feet, a brilliant shower of red sparks spraying from his knee. His Health Gauge was down to 40% - the pain was agonising, as though someone was stomping on his leg. Gunsou looked up at his opponent and glared, while Railgun nonchalantly reloaded his weapon."This is so unfair!" he screamed. He lashed out and tried to grab Railgun's leg; the lighter and nimbler fighter hopped on the spot, avoiding his hands, and then with the barest of effort, Railgun kicked Duro in the face.

"'Tis a fair fight, I guess, and it speaks for itself," he was saying. "But dude, don't take it personally. There's got to be someone who loses-"

-He had spoken too soon. Gunsou finally wrapped his fingers around his ankle and tugged, sending Railgun to the ground with a _crash!_ Spare rounds fell out of his pocket and clattered on the unbreakable surface of the Demonic City stage as Gunsou maintained a vice grip on Railgun's leg, refusing to let go. "I've got you now!" he smirked.

But try as he might, Railgun's hands were still free. Grasping for his ammunition while he struggled and kicked, Railgun fumbled as he stuffed a round into the chamber and racked the slide back. A green light along its side lit up, indicating he could use his Killer Move. But at such close quarters, it would definitely hurt him as well.

"Hey, Duro. Lighten up!" Railgun aimed his gun at a patch of blue-green. Gunsou looked up, not understanding what was about to happen-

 _Boom!_ With an earsplitting scream, Railgun blew out Gunsou's other knee, fracturing plates of armour and taking his Health down to 25%. Gunsou let go of his quarry to clutch his ruined legs, giving Railgun the chance to get up and escape. While Railgun caught his breath and checked his weapon, Gunsou's leg burned as red sparks poured freely from it.

After what felt like an eternity, his knee finally stopped stinging. Gunsou slowly inched his way up to a sitting position and groaned: "If I didn't have Brain Burst, then maybe, none of this would have happened…"

"Dude. It's not the game – it never was, in fact." Railgun rolled his eyes. "You sound like you've never played any VR games before; look, would you bully someone in real life, running at them and wanting to beat them up? No, right? Someone would tell on you right away." At his words, Gunsou nodded lightly in agreement. In fact, he didn't think he had it in him to hit anyone else, with the exception of the pink girl from earlier…

"But in this game, there's no teacher or program here to track you," Railgun was saying. "Even better, you gain Points from beating up people! Once you take away some rules and add new ones, even the nicest people you see could turn into the worst kind of person ever. That's just how it is," he shrugged.

"Then- Then if I hit someone… Does that make me…?" Gunsou hid his face, hoping Railgun wouldn't see the anguished flush that had come over him.

"Don't be silly! That's different, does it look like I go around shooting people all the time? This is the objective of the game – kill the other person." Railgun waved his gun-arm in the air for emphasis. "But I'm not talking about that – I'm talking about what else you're doing besides defeating your enemy. So a girl made you her servant, huh? You fought all her battles while she waited on the sidelines and just topped off your Health? _That's_ what I'm talking about: she's the worst kind of player out there. She's telling you she's helping but actually, she's stabbing you in the back!"

"Dude, just be like me: I fight solo all day, every day. No one tells me what to do except me myself. Of course, you gotta be good to fight solo, but why not? Hmm?" Railgun eyed him meaningfully.

"But… But I'm not strong at all," Gunsou groaned, "I just don't know how to fight! Without the healing, I think I should've just died every time I got into a battle…"

"Oi. Did you forget this morning? If no one taught you how to fight, then how did you deal damage in the first place? You used what every player has from the start: their brain."

"You're a blue-type. I didn't beat a dozen of you guys without remembering that your hands and feet are formidable weapons," he gestured at Gunsou's thick arms and chest. "Learn how to fight, and maybe you'll enjoy the game more! It didn't do anything to change you – you alone decide what you want to do."

"And how should I do that?" Gunsou asked. The ache in his knee and hip had dissipated, replaced with a tiny flame of hope. Massaging his sore head, he slowly glanced at Railgun. He shrugged and said: "I don't know, dude. Look for a club? A sport? Something similar to what you already do, at least that way you're not learning something entirely new."

He grabbed Gunsou's shoulder and stared fiercely. "Don't give up on yourself, kid. I still want that rematch someday, and I hope you put up a fight next time. Ah, there's the timer."

Gunsou glanced at the clock: indeed, there was a mere ten seconds left for their match. His Health had less than one-third remaining – he was the clear loser. But…

"You're not going to finish me off?" he asked, not quite believing anything. "Don't you enjoy shooting people?"

"What kind of a question is that?" Railgun shot back, as though Gunsou had grown an extra head. "Does it matter if I like to play with guns? All that matters to me is that I learn something useful."

 **[YOU LOSE!]**

Gunsou opened his eyes. Nothing else had changed: people were still walking down the street, the cold wind was still robbing him of heat, and the evening was rolling onwards. But somehow he felt different. Where he had felt lost and unwanted before, he now knew that he could still do something. "Look for a club, a sport, something…not entirely new?" he repeated Railgun's words in a low whisper. "But what?"

But it was better than simply uninstalling the game. Getting rid of it wouldn't solve the problems Gunsou had with his mother. Neither did he think that it would suddenly improve Misawa's view of him, not since that evening when she had confronted him. But at the thought of defying Mikiseki and Jun, Gunsou fantasised briefly: some day, when he got stronger in Brain Burst, maybe he'd challenge Jun, or better still, both Jun and Mikiseki. He'd beat them fair and square and earn his victory, and no one who saw the fight would doubt that he was stronger. He could be stronger. The path was ahead, and he had but to take the first step…

"What are you doing?" A very familiar voice from behind asked. Gunsou knew full well who she was before he had turned around – with her hands on her hips and slightly out of breath, Misawa stared crossly at Gunsou. "Of all the times… You know, your mom called me and told me you ran away! Did you know I rushed out and left my dinner behind for this? Just so that you could…take a walk?"

Gunsou lowered his gaze to her shoes. Misawa had every right to be angry with him; no matter how close they were, he was unnecessarily burdening her by making her rush out like this. He felt the familiar urge to avoid her entirely and not need to have to face this; except that the last two times he did so, he ended up being publically shamed and had left his own house. Misawa was the last person he had in his life, and if there was a time to say sorry, it was now.

"Misawa, I'm…" Gunsou began. A lump formed in his throat and squeezed tightly, and he decided to try again: "Misawa, I'm… I'm so-"

His childhood friend raised an eyebrow at Gunsou's reddening face and she tapped her foot. Was she going to leave? Without hearing him out?

"Misawa, I'm sorry for running out my house and making you come out to get me, you know it's my mother and she got really worked up this evening again and I just couldn't stand it anymore I had to get out but I didn't think she'd make you come get me and I'm sorry that you must have heard all that from next door while you were eating dinner with your mum I didn't intend for this or anything else to happen I was just sick and tired of being left alone please don't go away I don't to be left alone and I'm sorry for asking this of you-"

"Slow. Down!" Misawa grabbed Gunsou by the shoulders and shook him. "I'm not going anywhere, I've got to take you home! Look, I don't know why you fought with your mother again, but I didn't come here to tell you the same stuff. You know she doesn't really mean it, don't you?"

Gunsou looked up at her with mournful eyes. "How can she not mean those things if she says it every other night? I hate it when she does that, she always compares everything I do to what Dad did. I'm not my Dad!"

"Well, maybe it's because she cares for you that she says such things," Misawa said, "It may be the way she says it, but she still means the same thing. You've got to see that deep down, your mother still loves you, Gunsou." But rather than soothe him, Gunsou shook his head violently instead. "Have you heard her? She never calls me by my name! It's always 'boy', 'young man', and nothing else, my mother doesn't love me! She wouldn't say it otherwise!"

 _I need to wrap this up,_ Misawa thought. Gunsou's whining was beginning to attract a few curious passerbys. Rather than continue arguing with him, she stepped closer and pulled Gunsou close to her in a hug. He was still sitting on the bench and his head only came up to her chest, but a hug was a hug. She felt his ears, chilled from the time spent outside, and massaged them gently with her fingers.

"Mi..sawa…" Gunsou moaned. What was she thinking? How… No, why would she hug him like this? He could hear her heartbeat, a muffled but steady _thmp thmp thmp_ beneath her uniform. Slowly, he began to relax; not knowing what else to do with his hands, Gunsou slowly put them around Misawa's waist.

"I think you're mistaken," Misawa said in a soft but firm voice. "I'm sure your mother still cares for you inside, and even if you think she doesn't, I do. I don't like that you keep arguing with her, and you had better do something about it."

A moment later, Misawa realised the double meaning of her words, but decided against rephrasing it and shrugged. She couldn't say she didn't care about him when she had decided to hug him. Gunsou must have realised it too, because his body had begun to shake. The front of her uniform grew hot and wet as he leaked tears; why was Gunsou crying over a small hug? Releasing her hold on him, Misawa grasped his hands and slowly pried him off. A stream of tears ran down his face, which he quickly wiped away with his hands.

"Sorry, I… I wet your uniform." He said with a smaller voice than Misawa thought possible, "I guess, I… I wasn't expecting that."

Misawa rolled her eyes. "Feeling better? Ready to go home?" Gunsou nodded silently and got up from the park bench. Holding a drink he must have bought from the convenience stall, the two children walked home together.

Something came back to mind, a question she'd been meaning to ask: "Gunsou, are you ever going to uninstall the game? I mean, I know what I said this morning, but what are you going to do about it?"

Something in Gunsou's face tightened. "I don't think the problem… I mean, I don't believe it's the game. There were problems, but most of it is my fault, really." He sighed and removed his hands from his pockets. "I made Mum mad because I didn't go home right after school, but followed Mikiseki to play the game together. I guess I… Well, I should have just waited for another day or something."

Something seemed off in his explanation. "If it's your fault, then what are you going to do? Are you going to stop playing?" Misawa paused and turned to look at him curiously. Gunsou met her gaze and looked away instinctively – but he slowly forced himself to look at her.

"I want to try something different, Misawa. Maybe I'll join a club or something, I haven't decided which one yet," he said. "I like the game, but if I don't know how to play, I'll keep losing and I don't like it. I'll find a way to get better somehow."

"And to get better, you're…joining a club?" Misawa arched an eyebrow. "That's a pretty weird thing to do, I think. What does a club have to do with the game?"

Gunsou tilted his head slightly. "It's kind of hard to explain, but… But at least if I told Mum that I joined something, maybe she'd stop bothering me for not doing anything meaningful. I think this is like, the best of both options, so… Maybe she'd accept what I'm doing."

He trailed off, but Misawa turned and grabbed his shoulder. "Why are you continuing with the game? I told you, didn't I? That's what my father did!"

"I'm not-!" Gunsou began, then caught himself. "I'm sorry, I know. But I don't think your dad had any plans to do anything else besides games – I'm different. I'm not going to spend the rest of my life playing games, I want to do something meaningful! Learning a sport or joining a club because of the game, doesn't it sound better than just staying at home?"

"You lied to me, Gunsou, you said you'd do it this morning." Misawa stared at him. Gunsou closed his eyes and nodded. "I know I did, but I'm sorry. I think… I think I know what I want to do, and I want to try it out first, _then_ I'll uninstall. Does that…sound better?"

Misawa blinked. She couldn't have heard him wrongly, no? "Fine then. Well…come back when you say your mother loves you!"

"I wasn't serious… I mean, I wasn't really thinking… Hey!" Gunsou finally caught sight of her smirk. "You're the worst!" Misawa cackled and broke into a run with Gunsou in pursuit. Laughing, she made him chase her around a block of apartments until she finally came to a halt, watching him wheeze and gasp for breath from the running.

"Atchu!"

Misawa was quite sure she had heard a small dog's bark, when Gunsou sneezed again. Covering his nose, he met her curious gaze and lowered his eyes ruefully. "S-Sorry…" he mumbled.

"Hahaha!" she burst out laughing, "Did you know you sounded like a little puppy? I couldn't help myself!" she kept laughing while Gunsou looked away, embarrassed with himself. But rather than let him catch something, Misawa took off her jacket and draped it around his shoulders. "Better?"

Gunsou stared at her and blushed. "…Why are you so nice to me?" he murmured softly. Misawa rolled her eyes and waved him away: "You can't say all that to me and then fall sick, can you? I'll be fine, wear it."

"Thank you." Gunsou slipped his arms into the sleeves, still retaining its owner's heat, and zipped it up. But because he was busy putting it on, he didn't see the small smile on Misawa's face.

They reached their apartment complex, and in no time at all, they were at their front doors. Gunsou slipped off Misawa's jacket as he whispered, "Thanks, Misawa."

"So, you going to tell her sorry or something?" Misawa took back her jacket as she looked at Gunsou. His eyes lingered on the doorknob for a moment before he nodded: "…Yeah, I will."

"Then, see you tomorrow. Goodnight, Gunsou!" Opening her front door, Misawa waved goodbye to him before she disappeared for the night. With a rising sense of anxiety and trepidation, Gunsou entered his passcode, unlocked his front door, and let himself inside.

The kitchen light was still on, and as Gunsou took off his shoes and walked in, he saw that there was a bowl wrapped in clingfoil on the table: a serving of porridge and vegetables. The bowl was still warm, but what struck Gunsou was the spoon laid out by the side. Gunsou had always set the table for dinner, so this meant…

He glanced at the closed door to his mother's room and smiled to himself. "Thanks, Mum," he murmured softly. Peeling back the foil, he ate his dinner and did his homework for the rest of the night.

When he laid in bed that night, Misawa knocked on the wall first: tap-tap-tap. A surprised Gunsou paused, and then checked his Neuro Linker: Misawa had sent a single short message:

[Misawa:] Did you apologise to your mum? Remember to if you didn't!

He grinned, and wrote a quick reply: _She went to bed. I'll tell her tomorrow. Goodnight._

…

 **to be continued.**

…

Author's notes:  
I think this might feel a bit rushed. Some of it was, some wasn't. I sincerely apologise if you felt like there was a drop in quality - but truth be told, it's not easy to just give up on a plan you had believed was perfectly fine. Some things are hard to let go, but now I hope that by taking a step in a better direction, I will be able to complete the rest of Mirishira Accel World easier.

I still want to write a great story. Never mind about getting to Level 10, who cares about making your character get strong for the sake of getting strong to beat up on Kings (or even be lovers with them). I want to get to the heart of what made Accel World's first volume a great and heartwarming story: a boy who had struggled with himself all his life, and makes the slow, painful steps towards mending the broken bridges and rediscovering his friends. If I could rewrite Accel World and make it great, I'd like to do so. But I can't, so just enjoy this chapter instead.

-Tusjecht.


	9. Movement

**Movement**

.

* * *

 **Friday, April 15, 2039 AD**

* * *

Gasping for breath, the yellow duel avatar crawled to his feet. Gunsou had given him a light push, but for the thin and frail player named Plasma Horizon, it had sent him flying back an impressive distance until he hit a tree. Horizon glared daggers at Gunsou, and picked up the weapon he had dropped: a flat yellow disk that glowed from within. Horizon narrowed his eyes at Gunsou and shouted at the top of his lungs:

"That's so not fair of you, you big bully! Get a load of this!" Arching back, Horizon threw the yellow disk like a Frisbee at Gunsou. Flinching out of instinct, Gunsou raised his hands to protect his head, waiting for the impact – but it never came. Instead, he heard a hollow _thud_ as the disk fell to the floor, about a car's length away from Gunsou. He looked at the object, up at Plasma Horizon, and down again – just what was this object?

" _Gravitate_!" Horizon cried. For a moment, nothing happened. And then Gunsou felt the entire world shift around him-

"Woah!" he cried out. Falling to his knees, a wave of dizziness washed over him, and he instinctively leaned back, away from Horizon. A low mechanical hum filled his ears, and Gunsou was slowly but surely beginning to feel sick.

"How does it feel like?" Horizon taunted as he walked closer. "Gonna throw up? That's what you deserve for pushing me around." Gunsou choked and spluttered as he inexplicably began to slide forwards in the thin mud of the Rotting Forest Stage, as though someone was pulling him with an invisible, inescapable grip. But what? Gunsou caught sight of the yellow disk on the ground, and his brain slowly put the pieces together-

 _No way,_ he thought. But somehow, it was true – Horizon's weapon was slowly but surely pulling everything towards it. All manner of things were slowly moving towards it – mud, loose stones, and Turquoise Duro were being reeled in like fish on the hook. Instinct took over and Gunsou turned to flee, grasping at the ground to escape and finding very few handholds. As he scrambled to find purchase in the mud, a tree root, anything to escape, Horizon reached for the disk and grasped it with one hand, completely unaffected by the mysterious effects of his weapon. He lifted the disk off the ground, shaking it free of mud – but when he did so, Turquoise Duro's legs too were lifted into the air, hoisted by the invisible and relentless force that Horizon's Enhanced Armament was exerting. "Shizuku!" he called out loudly, "I've got him! Hurry up and use your skill!"

"This can't be right," Gunsou mumbled to himself, "Why is his gravity attack so strong? It wasn't able to lift me into the air like this, but-"

Had Gunsou fought him before? When was it? Dizziness assailed Gunsou's senses as he flailed his arms – was he really upside down? Turning his head, everything Gunsou saw – the forest canopy beneath his feet, the mud and soil above his head, told him he should be, but somehow it didn't feel right. As though he was also lying down on something. Turquoise Duro's heavily-armoured hands also didn't feel very heavy either. Why was everything all so strange?

A wave of bright pink energy flashed in the distance behind some trees. Gunsou brought his arms up to cover his face, but the wave passed right through him! Knocking him out from his suspension in midair, Gunsou was tossed like a ragdoll, experiencing flight without wings briefly before he met _terra firma_ face first. Crashing through a woody bush, Gunsou tumbled and flailed until he hit a hunk of stone, stopping him from rolling any further but also punching him in the gut. Breathless and crying from the pain, Gunsou put a hand over his mouth as he struggled to not scream. Tiny stars danced at the edge of his vision – he had lost a lot of health from the combined attacks of Auroral Gazer's energy blast and Horizon's gravity manipulation.

Someone jogged over to the rock he was stuck on, tugged at his arm, and eventually got Gunsou to roll off the rock and into a small swamp. _Splash!_ Drops of viscous liquid splattered Gunsou and his tag team partner. "Get up, Gunsou!" she urged him, "C'mon! I'll heal you. Just put your hand in mine."

But as Gunsou opened his eyes to look at Spring Renascentia's face, it wasn't a bright green mask that he saw, but Mikiseki's grinning expression. Running her tongue over her lips, she reached out and took Gunsou's hands in hers-

 _Pain_. Gunsou looked at his own arm, and where he expected to see blue-green armour, all he saw was his pale skin and skinny arms – streaked with red. Lots of it. Thorns were piercing his skin, and dozens more extended from smooth, finger-like vines to draw blood from everywhere he touched them. He looked back up at Mikiseki's grinning face, but it looked less like a smile and more like a sneer. A blood-red rose bloomed from above her right ear. She slowly began to sink into the ground, her grip on Gunsou tightening the more he struggled. "Come with me, Gunsou," she moaned. Panicking, Gunsou tugged and tried to pull away from the thorns, but they only sunk in deeper!

"Turquoise Duro!" Someone shouted from far away. Gunsou spotted a crimson duel avatar, with an oversized cannon barrel for an arm – Guardsman Railgun? Had he come to save Gunsou? "Don't trust anyone, not the second-years with square rulers! Accel World is a game in your head and I don't like it – everyone in Tokyo knows that flavoured yoghurt and recycled paper confetti are as poisonous as purple tables! You need to run home in the bright blue sky before the mailbox closes today!"

"…What?" Confused and irritated, Gunsou tried to free himself from Mikiseki's death hold, but she wasn't there anymore. He glanced around – now he was buried in mud up to his chest, and he could hardly breathe, much less move his legs. He was dropping into the mud, faster and faster, and he was going to suffocate and die here unless someone could pull him out. He pulled with all his might, even if it meant that the thorns would flay him alive, but-

No thorns. All he felt was a girl's slender, soft palms in his own. Startled, Gunsou looked up at his saviour's face, but a bright light prevented him from seeing clearly. This girl had red hair, and a familiar scent about her.

"-Misawa?"

This girl let go of his hand, and reached out for Gunsou's face-

"!"

He was in bed. A thin layer of sweat wet his skin and made his shirt cling to his chest. Gunsou still had one hand stretched towards the ceiling, reaching for someone too far away to see. He sat up in bed and stared at his unblemished hands, still trembling a little.

"…What was that?" he whispered.

.

A light rain was falling outside. Nothing too heavy, but Gunsou would have to take an umbrella to go to school. After he had brushed his teeth and changed out of his sweaty clothes, Gunsou quietly knocked on the door of his mother's room. But when a long silence passed, Gunsou grit his teeth and slowly turned the doorknob. The door opened noiselessly, and he went inside.

His mother was sprawled on the bed, snoring on her back and wearing the same dirty shirt and pants from yesterday. The urge to turn back tugged at Gunsou, but he gritted his teeth. He reached out and nudged his mother's shoulder: "Mum, wake up."

When she did not respond, Gunsou nudged her again. His mother raised one thin arm and lazily swatted the air. "Mmmph," she grunted, "Lemme sleep…a little more…"

So she was awake. Gunsou lowered his hand to his side and bowed slightly: "Mum…sorry about last night. I was very rude. Please… Please forgive me."

"Mmmph." Gunsou blinked, wondering if she had more to say, but Mayumi remained silent. Did she just go back to sleep? Gunsou turned to tiptoe out of her bedroom.

"…Coffee."

"What?" Gunsou stopped in his tracks and glanced over his shoulder. His mother had rolled over onto her stomach with her head in her hands. "Coffee," she mumbled into the sheets, "Make me one."

By the time his mother had staggered out of her room a few minutes later, Gunsou had finished boiling the water. He emptied the contents of the sachet of instant coffee into her usual mug and carefully poured in the hot water. He stirred and brought the steaming cup to the table, where Mayumi sat down and yawned.

"Half a cup of water, boy. Too much water spoils the taste." She opened one eye sleepily and stared at Gunsou, who quickly lowered his gaze.

"Sorry, Mum," he said. He flinched as her hand came up again – but rather than smack him, Mayumi sleepily scratched his head. "Just learn, I'm not scolding you. Just learn from your mistake and don't do it again."

"….Yes, Mum." Somewhat shocked by the lack of an outburst, Gunsou left to make his breakfast – he reheated a small bowl of porridge from yesterday, buttered a single slice of bread, and poured himself a glass of water. He drained the glass and left the bread on the counter just as the microwave oven beeped, and he brought his meal to the table. He ate his porridge in silence while his mother put on her Neuro Linker, scrolling through the air while she read whatever she read in the morning – Gunsou had never asked. He ate his food in silence, until he remembered something else.

"Uh, Mum," he began, "I kinda… I need money for lunch today. Would you give me some?" His mother looked up from her Neuro Linker and frowned; Gunsou's hands trembled as he awaited her response.

But rather than berate him, the corner of Mayumi's lips twitched and she smiled. "You can, but before I give you the money, come and give your mother a hug."

 _What?_ Gunsou's jaw dropped. Mayumi examined her son and huffed, but then she got up from her seat and took him in anyway. Her arms were thin and her body worn down, but the strength with which she held her son squeezed the breath out of Gunsou.

And just as quickly as it had begun, it was over. Mayumi let go of Gunsou and ruffled his hair. "Finish your breakfast and go to school, boy," she said, and headed for the bathroom. Seconds later, Gunsou heard her open the taps – she was taking a shower. He stood still and blinked, touching his messy hair.

"…Yes I will, Mum," He whispered quietly.

.

Even if Brain Burst was only a game, Mikiseki couldn't deny that it was a fun game. Actually, it was more than that. Playing Brain Burst and fighting other kids alongside someone gave her a buzz on the inside she thoroughly enjoyed. Craved, even. But now that feeling was gone.

"…What do I do…" she muttered to herself. She has excused herself from class to go to the bathroom, partly because she couldn't stand the teacher, and also because of _that guy_. From the moment she had stepped into class, he had glanced at her and then looked away, refusing to as much as twitch in her direction. As if he didn't even know her!

She did her business and splashed her face with water, rubbing her eyes as she dried off. She'd have to accept that she was alone, and would have to relearn how to defend herself. People were always trying to recruit her – having a healer on your side was a very sound strategy, but honestly, some of them were creeps. Mikiseki shuddered as she recalled one particular ruffian – ever since she had encountered him once, a certain Zinc Swan had pestered her to Tag Team with him, asking where she stayed, what school she attended, even offering his number in hopes of having hers.

"Hey, Mikiseki."

"J-Jun?" Mikiseki exclaimed. She glanced left and right – the hallway was empty. Had he been waiting outside the bathroom? "What are you doing here? Don't you have class?"

"Yeah, I do, but…" he shrugged, "The teacher was boring. I waved at you earlier when I saw you walking to the bathroom, but I guess you weren't looking. You okay?"

"I'm…" Mikiseki began, but hesitated. Should she tell him about Gunsou? But what would she gain from it? And, why was Jun being so friendly today?

"I'm okay, I guess," she said warily, "Nothing's been happening, y'know?"

Jun grinned and rubbed his hands together. "Perfect! Say, do you wanna have lunch with me? Right after class, in fact. It's been awhile since we ate, don't you think so?"

"…okay." A stunned Mikiseki replied. She was still staring as Jun flashed her a broad smile and practically skipped away.

.

' _Come join Mitsukihara Taekwondo Club_!' the title of the email proclaimed loudly. Beneath it, the name of the club was emblazoned across a poster of a handsome upperclassman balancing on one foot. The knee of his other leg was raised up to an impossible height, almost reaching his chest. His entire body was coiled like a spring, ready to deliver a deadly kick.

Gunsou stared at the poster and the boy, slowly scanning the details provided in the rest of the email about where and when to meet (just later that afternoon at the multipurpose hall). But his attention remained focused on the poster – the upperclassman's mysterious-looking grin, the strength and confidence it must have taken to balance on one foot while having his picture taken, and most of all, the uniform. The white robe and black belt; didn't that mean he was highly accomplished? Stories and movies always portrayed the martial artist as a black belt in so-and-so field, therefore he must be strong!

"…but that must mean he worked very hard, didn't he?" Gunsou murmured to himself. Was he ready to commit that kind of time and effort to become strong? Was taekwondo even his thing? Whether it was or not, Gunsou didn't have time to answer; the lunch bell rang, and Mrs Yukizuka ended her lecture right as students swept their hands aside to close their windows and prepare to have lunch. While some of them had the luxury of having home-cooked meals, Gunsou wasn't one of the lucky ones; he had to go to the cafeteria for his food. As he walked out of the classroom, Mikiseki slowly, almost deliberately, moved towards the door. Was she trying to cut him off?

With what little gap there was, Gunsou turned sideways and crab-walked his way through, turning such that he was facing away from Mikiseki. After all that she had put him through, she still wanted to talk to him? Gunsou scowled as he made his way to the cafeteria. While he was wondering if he was in time to get extra eggs while they still had them, someone tapped him on his shoulder. "What is it-?" he snapped as he whirled around-

Bemused, Misawa blinked at him. "What's up? Had a bad day?"

Gunsou slowly lowered his head. "S-Sorry, Misawa. I thought you were someone else." She raised an eyebrow at his behaviour, but shrugged and pointed towards the cafeteria. "C'mon! Let's go get something to eat."

By coincidence or sheer luck, a table for two was vacated by a pair of girls right as Gunsou and Misawa had bought their food and were looking for a seat. Misawa immediately zeroed in on the empty chairs, weaving through the crowd quickly and casually while holding her tray of food, and plonked her tray down just when a tall upperclassman was about to sit. Flashing a megawatt smile, Misawa bared her teeth as she sat on the plastic chair: "Excuse me, but my friend and I would like to have a seat. Sorry about that!" Her falsely sweet tone said otherwise, and the upperclassman was evidently cross with her.

Gunsou finally caught up, panting slightly, and turned to face the upperclassman-

His apology died in his throat. Jun Ichijo looked ready to snap a man in half at that very moment! His stare shifted from Gunsou, to Misawa, and then back to Gunsou. Jun narrowed his eyes and took a step forwards, invading Gunsou's personal space. He became acutely aware that he had to look up to meet Jun's cold stare.

"-You again." He muttered. "Why are you here?"

Gunsou reflexively looked away. "I apologise, it's a misunderstanding. But I guess Misawa just got here first, and-"

"I saw it first," Jun cut him off, "Just because you reached it first, doesn't mean it's yours."

Students were beginning to notice them, stare at them. Gunsou fought to keep calm – it was impossible to look back at Jun without meeting his icy cold stare. Misawa opened her mouth, ready to retort, or order Gunsou to sit down – he didn't know.

And he wouldn't know. Suddenly, Jun's anger disappeared like a candle being blown out – he turned away from Gunsou, and standing behind him was Mikiseki. She had tugged on Jun's arm, carrying a tray of food with her other hand. "C'mon Jun," she cajoled, "There's more seats on the other side. We don't have to fight _him_ for a seat." Her voice was calm, but nevertheless she glanced coldly at Gunsou. To his relief, Jun didn't say anything else and walked away with Mikiseki. A very confused Gunsou stared after them for a few seconds before he finally set down his lunch tray. "What was that all about?" Misawa asked him.

Gunsou could only shrug. "I… I have no idea. Shall we just eat?"

Several minutes passed before Misawa broke the silence. "So, Gunsou, have you got any ideas on what you're going to do?"

"Um, I kinda have an idea, but I'm not sure of it."

"And what is it?" she leaned forwards and stared at Gunsou. To his credit, Gunsou didn't look away, but he blinked and leaned back a little.

"Um, uh, I found the, ah, the Taekwondo club! Yeah, I read an email they sent and I think it's very interesting! So, uh, yes."

"Yes _what_?"

A deadly gleam had appeared in Misawa's eyes. The collar of Gunsou's shirt felt hot and stifling as he began to sweat.

"Y-Yes, I think I'll go for that. In fact, they're having a session later today, so yeah, I'll go."

Misawa smirked and leaned back. "That's very nice. I'm free after class, so I'll come and see what it's like afterward, okay?"

His fate was sealed. "Al…Alright then. I'll see you later."

.

"What have I done…"

It was after class. Pacing in circles outside of the entrance to the multipurpose hall, Gunsou nervously glanced at the gigantic double doors, and then looked away, unable to control the slight tremor in his hands.

The clock ticked closer to 2 o' clock. Every other minute, Gunsou would reassure himself with something positive, thoughts like 'I have to do this!' or 'It's all for self-improvement!' And right up to the moment he touched the doorknob, he felt ready.

But then he always turned back. As though he was repelled by the doors, Gunsou couldn't go any closer. He would freeze and then turn away, afraid of the people just behind that door and the possibilities that lay with them. But then he'd try to convince himself again that he had to go through that door, repeating the process all over again. In the ten minutes he'd been there, Gunsou had approached the door seven times, and seven times he had turned back.

"Maybe I should just find a training app or something…" he groaned. Apps that specialised in physical training weren't that common, but Gunsou was sure they existed. If there was practically a thousand apps for every school subject that existed, surely there was at least a dozen of them for every popular sport?

"You want to what?" a very familiar voice floated behind him. Gunsou flinched and peeked over his shoulder; as expected, it was Misawa, but she wasn't smiling. Her arms were crossed.

"Ah… I mean, I…" Gunsou stammered and stopped. When Misawa didn't budge, he sighed and gave up the façade. "I can't do it! I… I don't feel like going through that door-"

 _Slap._

He blinked, and once reality set in, Gunsou felt his face burn in shame. Misawa took in a huge breath as if she was going to yell, but then she sighed unexpectedly.

"Are you a fool?" she snapped, "You promised me you'd do it! Don't you dare pull a Shinji Ikari on me! You're going to get into that hall, and learn something useful! Now just do it!"

A long moment of silence followed, only punctuated by Misawa's panting. As she slowly calmed down, she saw Gunsou's lips move.

"…six, seven, eight…"

"What are you saying?" she said, trying to sound gentler. Misawa reached out and put a hand on Gunsou's shoulder; he flinched slightly, but didn't shake her off or push her hand away.

"…nine, ten." Gunsou took a deep breath and exhaled, standing up a little straighter. One of his cheeks was still a little redder than the other, but it didn't seem to bother him anymore.

"I'll… I'll do it." He whispered, "I'll attend the session."

Gunsou swallowed and walked to the doors, placing one hand on the doorknob. He turned back to look at Misawa again, and this time she smiled broadly. There was no anger, no ill intent in her expression; she pumped a fist and said: "Go for it! Take the first step!"

Gunsou nodded, and turned the doorknob with a satisfying click. He pushed the door open, and the first thing he saw was-

.

The physical training was gruelling. Nothing like he had ever done before in PE class. In his first training with the Taekwondo club, Gunsou was stretched like a rubber band, made to run like Usain Bolt, and worst of all, was held to the same heights as the veterans - literally. He had to kick up as high as his head, without bending his leg or arching his back too much. When it was all over, Gunsou quite literally collapsed onto the ground, quivering and trembling, but to general smiles all around.

"That was pretty good of you," Asami said, "Very few first-timers could stand our training like that. In any case, we're pretty much done with the physical training, but if you'd like to stay and watch, you could see us spar!" she grinned.

"Spar?" Gunsou asked.

"Yes, sparring." she said matter-of-factly. Behind her, two boys were hauling large sports bags full of what appeared to be body protectors, helmets, and a myriad of white padding.

Gunsou watched curiously as each member donned armguards and shinguards of various sizes, wore gloves, and slipped transparent protectors into their mouths. Only Asami didn't wear the last piece as she gestured for two members to fight. "Ready- fight!" she cried, and backed away.

And boy, did they fight. With zero knowledge of taekwondo to begin with, all Gunsou saw was a battle dance - two duellists, one bouncing on the balls of his feet, another carefully circling his opponent. Lightning-fast kicks were traded, loud thuds were felt rather than heard as blocks were successful and fewer hits connected, and Gunsou even saw one of them twist, gracefully leap into the air - and connect a kick in mid-air, to whoops and cheers from the onlookers all around. Despite the grunts and groans and beads of flying sweat, it looked less like a brawl and more of a deadly ballet.

The two boys continued to fight for another minute or two before their bout finally ended. Bowing respectfully to each other and shaking hands, the two boys returned to their friends and started discussing their duel animatedly. But Gunsou saw something different. In their movements, their guards, and their attacks, he had finally found something useful and relevant. If he learnt how to fight like that, maybe then he could win in Accelerated World...

"See something you like?" Asami said. Catching Gunsou's attention, she continued, "Anyway, you're free to go. You seem interested, so if you're up to it again, just come back next week! No sparring just yet, though, that comes with training."

"Oh, okay," Gunsou replied, trying to hide his growing smile. "I think I'm okay with that for now..."

.

Without his towel, Gunsou couldn't take a shower despite how desperately he wanted one. Resorting to washing his face and sitting underneath a fan to dry off, he passed the time by reactivating his Neuro Linker and started on his homework. Most of them were going to take a lot longer than the time he'd take to dry off, so Gunsou skimmed through them, scribbled short answers and keywords, and set a reminder to finish them later. But still, something nagged at him, the need to know more, understand something, and acquire the knowledge… Willed by an invisible hand, Gunsou typed in "taekwondo sparring" and clicked on the first video he found. He watched videos of tall men with black belts and protective garb effortlessly whacking opponents and knocking them airborne. He examined a comparison between master of karate, jiu-jitsu, and capoeira and the strength of their kicks - and then the taekwondo master walked in and demolished his competitors. Gunsou watched wide-eyes as a young girl walked up towards her instructor, holding a cinder block impossibly high above her head - then she jumped and shattered the block with a single spinning kick.

Of course he wished he could do those, but with the scantest of knowledge about it, where would he even begin? The answer to that never came-

 _SLAM!_ Time halted and Gunsou's surroundings turned blue. His pleasant mode evaporated as soon as he saw the name of his opponent: **[KLEIN APPRENTICE]**. Within seconds, what looked like the interior of a guady, well-lit bathroom interior appeared around him, and once again Gunsou felt the sensation of a skin upon his skin. Reliable blue-green armour slid over his arms and back, locking into place with a satisfying 'Click!' as the flaming words appeared in the center of his vision: **[FIGHT!]**

Gunsou - or rather, Turquoise Duro - froze expecting his nemesis to appear at any second, but no footsteps were to be heard. Gunsou wasted a few seconds reaching for his bag, which of course, wasn't there with him, before he walked out of the bathroom into row after row of shops. Had he made a wrong turn? No, he was correct - this was the inside of the school's multipurpose hall, but it had somehow transformed into a brightly lit shopping mall!

"Hey you!" An unpleasantly familiar voice screeched from across. "Asshat! I heard you duelled with my girlfriend yesterday?"

Klein Apprentice leapt down from a ledge, drawing his sword mid-air, and landed with a thud that Gunsou felt rather than heard. Apprentice's eyes flashed menacingly and he swung his sword, making swishing noises in the air as he approached. If he wanted to make an intimidating appearance, then he certainly did look the part.

But Gunsou wasn't the weak, unconfident boy from yesterday anymore. While he had hitched a free ride to Level 4 with Mikiseki's help, he was definitely stronger this time around. And armed with the knowledge of what taekwondo could be when mastered… Gunsou didn't know if it would work, but why should that be a reason to not try?

Trying to put on a brave front, Gunsou raised his fists and nodded at Apprentice. "Sure I did. What are you going to do, hit me?"

"You will try," Klein Apprentice growled, raising his sword up high. "Hii-yahh!" Without preamble, he swung downwards, intent on squashing Duro where he stood. But if Duro had learnt anything from the series of duels yesterday, he had settled into a pattern that suited him: let them move first.

Taking short, quick steps backwards, Duro avoided the deadly swipes, each guaranteed to inflict serious hurt as Klein Apprentice slashed and swiped with all his might. Then, after the fourth attack or so, he stumbled slightly, having attacked too fast in too short a time. Without the expected resistance of hitting his target, Klein Apprentice faltered for the briefest of moments - and Turquoise Duro struck. Or pushed, rather. Armour rushed to his hands instinctively as he placed his palms on Klein Apprentice's arm and chest, and Duro leaned forwards, putting his entire weight into an unstoppable force!

These are grand words for a simple action, but after suffering at the hands of this arrogant player, the incarnation of green-eyed jealousy itself, nothing felt more satisfying at that moment as Klein Apprentice lost his balance completely and hit the ground with a resounding 'Crunch!' On-screen, his Health Gauge dropped by a tiny fraction, but a drop nonetheless. The wooden sword in Apprentice's hand clattered to the ground and echoed throughtout the hall.

"Why, you-!" Klein Apprentice sputtered, snatching his sword up and lunging at Turquoise Duro. Stiffening, Duro prepared for a hit to his arm, where plates congregated and doubled its thickness. But this time, it was Duro's mistake to let his opponent move first, as Klein Apprentice smoothly grasped his sword in his left and put all his effort into an almighty swing, aiming for his unprotected sides-!

Even if it was a glancing blow that failed to elicit more than just a grunt of pain from Duro, the reaction was to Klein Apprentice as blood in the water was to a shark. Well within range, Klein Apprentice changed grips again and landed blow after blow. Raising his arms to protect his face, Duro was hammered by hits to his wrists, his shoulders, his sides - but then he leaned backwards, the rounded tip of the wooden sword missing his nose by millimetres - and lashed out with a clumsy kick. He was too far for it to be ineffective, but the toe of his armoured legs scraped against Klein Apprentice's chest, spraying a shower of sparks and startling his opponent.

Duro sensed his chance to move first. Damaging Klein Apprentice wasn't the priority; first, he had to get rid of that wooden bat-thingy. Lunging forwards, Duro collided heavily with Klein Apprentice, who shrieked a curse as they hit the ground. Curling his fists, Duro hammered his opponent on the head: once, twice, and just as Apprentice's fingers found purchase on his dropped sword, Duro changed his target, raised his armoured fists above his head, and brought them down squarely onto Apprentice's lightly armoured wrists! His arm burst in a shower of red damage effects. Duro vaguely heard yelling and its echoes - whether it was his own shouting, or Apprentice's cries of pain, he couldn't tell. His heart beat a violent tattoo in his chest. Duro's vision seemed sharp and yet blurry at the same time.

...He had stayed still for too long. Shoving Duro off him, Klein Apprentice rolled away, holding his broken wrist and muttering curses under his breath. Returning to his senses, Duro picked up his wooden sword - and then he turned and chucked it behind several stalls, where it bounced off a shopfront and landed into an unseen crevice. Though Duro's jaw armour didn't let anyone see his mouth, he was smiling widely as he turned to face his disarmed opponent.

But a wicked grin had similarly crept onto the expression of Klein Apprentice. "Okay, you got me good there," he growled, "But you know what? That's not my only Armament!"

Klein Apprentice spread his arms wide in an exaggerated fashion. " **«Equip! Magnetic Gloves»**!"

A narrow spotlight shone down on both of Klein Apprentice's hands, illuminating them with an unearthly violet glow that made Duro's eyes water. With metallic clicking and locking sounds, Duro watched as a pair of armoured gauntlets, nearly as thick as his own armour, assembled themselves over Klein Apprentice's hands and neatly covered the injuries he had inflicted.

"Damn it.." Duro gritted his teeth. Whatever it was that Klein Apprentice had just done, he was still disarmed; he had to attack now! Shifting some armour to his fists, Duro charged at Apprentice, leaping into the air and raising his hand up high to try and wipe the smirk off Klein Apprentice's face-!

Klein Apprentice grinned and held up his injured right hand to catch Duro's incoming punch. It didn't seem like it would work, but just as Duro closed in and was about to introduce fist to hapless jaw-

An invisible force halted his advance and prevented him from getting any closer! Duro snarled in frustration and tried to punch with his free hand, but that too was countered by Klein Apprentice raising his left-hand glove and stopping his attack effortlessly. Several centimeters' distance was all that separated them, but why couldn't he close in?

"Get away from me! **«Repel»**!" Apprentice cried. His Special Gauge glowed and depleted in one swoop; a low, throbbing hum emitted from his gauntlets, and the same force that kept Duro from attacking Klein Apprentice now bodily flung him backwards, flipping head over heels before he crashed unceremoniously into several stalls.

The world spun in dizzying circles for Duro. His Health had fallen to half it's maximum. Struggling to get up, he became aware of laughter echoing throughout the hall, and realised it was Klein Apprentice's. He had no idea what was that equipment or armament he had just used - but it seemed like the rules had just changed. If Duro didn't want to lose here, then he had to do something differently. Should he try to use his Special Move?

He was still thinking when a pair of hands wrapped themselves around his throat and squeezed. Choking, Duro grabbed Apprentice's hands, trying to pull them off, but the gauntlets were too smooth and his fingers found no purchase. Klein Apprentice leaned forwards and put his entire weight onto Duro, his eyes slits. "You're a fucking loser," he hissed. "You have no power, you have no friends, and you even tried to take my girlfriend from me!"

Just as Turquoise Duro's Health Gauge began to plummet at an alarming rate, black spots began to appear in his vision - and his own Special Gauge rose to nearly full. In a last-ditch attempt to break free, Duro let go and cocked his fist back. " **«Flick... Rammer»**!" He wheezed with the last bit of air in his lungs.

 _WHAM!_ Every piece of unused armour rushed to his fist, sending in rocketing forwards, and bashed in the side of Klein Apprentice's face! He was in perfect range anyway, but desperation, not ingenuity, had driven Duro's actions. Howling in pain, Klein Apprentice let go of Duro, giving him the space to crawl away, gasping as air flooded his lungs. A small part of his mind mused how real it felt to breath when their avatars didn't seem to have lungs, and yet...

Wind. Second wind.

Gunsou had heard of the term before when his PE teacher had been talking about exercise. At the time, he had found it impossible to believe - how could this man say that their bodies were like a battery full of energy, but the more you exercised, the more energy you would have? Where was this strength coming from then? Ignoring the rest of the instructions, Gunsou had carried on jogging at his own pace and never thought about it again.

But as he lay flat on his back with less than one-third health remaining, and Klein Apprentice busy rehearsing his defeat, Turquise Duro could very keenly feel something. A warmth that started in the small of his back and spread throughout his body. It did not make the aches and pains disappear, but it was a lot more bearable.

He focused on Apprentice's health gauge. It was half-full; a great deal bigger than his own, but it was irrefutable proof that Duro had dealt a blow to Klein Apprentice. This wasn't something he couldn't solve. Mikiseki's boyfriend had an ego to maintain - and Gunsou was able to dent it with his bare hands.

As cheesy as all this sounded in his head, it gave him the encouragement to roll over and stagger to his feet. Second wind - it's just not the ability to surpass your limits, but the determination to keep going on despite falling down. Duro's hands curled into fists, and the armour plates split, moved, and rearranged themselves until his wrists and forearms were protected by reliable turquoise armour.

He won't stop here. He should not stop here! Even if he wasn't sure of success, it was better than certain failure!

Clambering to his feet, he saw Klein Apprentice shake his head as though clearing his senses, and head towards the stalls in search of his sword. He was definitely looking for his sword. Abandoning all restraint, Duro charged Apprentice, his heels gouging the stage deeply as he accelerated from rest to a blur.

"Uwoohh!" Shouting incoherently, Duro jumped, Not even utilising Saint's Fist for defense. There was no thinking, no planning - all he knew he had to do was to inflict as much damage, pain, and distraction as he could before he went down inevitably.

Startled, Klein Apprentice whirled around and tried to stop him again, but he wasn't quick enough. The two blue avatars collided in a mess of limbs, tumbled to the ground, and rolled over each other until a stall stocked with all manner of pots and pans stopped them from rolling any further. _CLANG!_ The pottery rang loudly as it bounced off their avatars.

"Take this!" Duro yelled, and punched Klein Apprentice. "And this!" Apprentice's head sparked angrily and cracks appeared in his helmet as Duro hit him again and again. A jab to Duro's abdomen slowed down his attack for the briefest moment, which gave Apprentice an opening - seizing a large frying pan, he swung it clumsily and clobbered Turquoise Duro! As a dazed Duro toppled off him, Apprentice tossed the pan aside and raised his fists, wanting nothing more than to bash in his nemesis' skull-

Or he tried to, because as he discovered, the pan was still stuck to his hand! More accurately, the base of the pan was now firmly attracted to his gauntlet, and despite his best efforts to shake off the damned thing, it stayed stuck. Klein Apprentice swore loudly, prompting Turquoise Duro to crack open a black eye and observe the spectacle.

A wicked idea came to Duro. Rummaging through the stall for more pans, he hefted them and got to his feet. "Need a hand?" he said, and tossed the cookware at Klein Apprentice. Or rather, he threw them at his other gauntlet; and as Apprentice instinctively put his hands up to block, both pans hit his free gauntlet and immediately refused to be let go of, courtesy of the magnetic Enhanced Armament he had.

"So that's how it works, huh," Duro mused. Reduced to waving his hands frantically, Klein Apprentice glared daggers at him and laughed - even if it sounded forced and ineffectual. "You think you have a bright idea, but I've got a better one! **[Remove All Equipment]**!"

In a muted burst of purple light, the gauntlets vanished and the pans dropped to the floor with a clatter. "Now then, shall we-" he began.

Turquoise Duro was in no mood to let him finish. Lunging forwards, he closed in with punches. Even if they were bad and amateurish, it was clear in a few seconds that Apprentice was utterly helpless without his sword. His guards were weak, easily overcome with sheer force, and bit by bit, Duro forced him backwards into the wall. Apprentice tried a clumsy right hook in a desperate counterattack, which Duro stood and tanked the attack - if only to gain the opening he needed to lean back, twist, and raise his fully-armoured leg and kick Apprentice's side!

"Arghh!" Apprentice screamed. A sickening crunch was heard as Duro's leg shattered whatever little armour he had and a shower of red sparks was emitted from his wound. Falling to the side, all Klein Apprentice could do was to lean on the wall for support - then Duro brought his entire weight down onto his unguarded knee, audibly breaking his leg with a loud _snap!_

Finally, the game was almost over. There was less than five minutes remaining on the clock, Apprentice's Health Gauge was deep in the red, with probably no more than 5% remaining. Needless to say, Duro had at least three times that amount remaining. Wordlessly, he watched as Apprentice grabbed his knee, whimpering and gasping for breath.

"So," he gritted his teeth, "Gonna finish me off? Do it," he taunted Duro, "I'll kill you next time, I swear. And I'll repay you double, no, triple the amount! You're lucky there's no one watching us right now, or I'd have tried harder."

When Duro didn't respond, Apprentice stared at him incredously. "Are you stupid? Just do it!"

Turquoise Duro shrugged. "I dunno. It doesn't feel right, I guess." The armour of Saint's Fist slowly slid back to their normal positions on his duel avatar as he began to walk away. "I might as well go home."

"W-Wait!" Apprentice shouted, halting Duro in his tracks. In his screen, the timer ticked down to the final thirty seconds. "Miki... My girlfriend!" he said, "Do not team up with her again, or you'll pay for it! I'm warning you!"

Duro shrugged. "Whatever," he said nonchalantly, "It's not like I wanted to team with her in the first place." With his back to Apprentice, it hid the small smile that Duro was making. Apprentice continued to splutter behind him, but did it really matter? He had triumphed over his enemy. He had not given up despite how bad it had looked from the start. He... He felt like he had grown.

 **[YOU WIN!]**

 **tbc**

Author's note: Just combined both parts of Movement into one chapter. I know the transition is jarring, but I don't think it's worth the effort to go fix it. Not with Chapter 10 waiting in the wings...


	10. Revelations

**Revelations**

.

* * *

 **Thursday, May 19, 2039 AD**

* * *

"Oh my _god_ ," Misawa groaned. "Gunsou, are you a brainless idiot? How many times have you had to copy homework now?" She glared at him even as she sent the files over to Gunsou's mail, which he guiltily opened with downturned eyes. "Sorry, Misawa," he mumbled.

Misawa continued to give him the stink as he copied her answers. "It's not even that hard," she said, "The essay is a drag, yes, but the physics questions are pretty much lifted from the book - hell, you can even find it in last year's answers! All that we have to do is to show our working step by step to demonstrate that we know what we're talking about - hey, are you even listening?" She nudged Gunsou in the side, but he barely seemed to notice.

"I'll pull through for the exams, don't worry," he said evenly as he finished and closed his homework. The two of them sat in the library, submitting their homework before the afternoon deadline. All around them, students were sitting in cubicles, brows furrowed in concentration while they revised for the finals, the first of which were next week. Gunsou and Misawa packed up their bags and headed to the cafeteria in unison for lunch.

"Y'know, you've got to get a grip on yourself," Misawa said. "You're playing games - I know you are! - but you just can't afford to keep doing this. Your Chemistry is bad. Your Maths are in the pits. I thought Physics was your best subject, but here you are copying answers from me!"

She tugged on Gunsou's sleeve and brought him to a stop. "You need to get some help. C-Come over to my house later after school, okay?"

Gunsou stared at her incredulously. They locked gazes, and under her eyes, the faintest hint of colour appeared on her cheeks. But Gunsou looked away first and nodded.

"Alright, I'll come by later." he said.

"You don't, and you'll find your mother and I have got something in common." she growled, but her troubled expression was already vanishing as they looked for the queue at their favourite food stalls.

.

"Fuck!" Klein Apprentice screamed. The cybernetic ninja Enemy coldly stared at him, raised its sword, and cut down the last of Jun's remaining Health. For the sixth time today, he failed the dungeon and his surroundings turned grey. A timer appeared before him: [00:59:57].

The proximity of this dungeon from Jun's house was what made it attractive in the first place. Unfortunately, what he didn't know was that the Enemies in the Unlimited Neutral Field were this strong. Consisting of what seemed to be a straightforward layout of several shuriken-throwing automatons, and a slender robotic ninja as the dungeon's boss, Jun had beat up the mindless minions in quick fashion before rushing the ninja.

He had failed utterly, of course.

These minions were surprisingly irritating. Ten of them in total stood between him and the boss, and each of them launched tiny metal three-pointed stars that whistled through the air. Klein Apprentice wasn't exactly the fastest duel avatar, but Jun could avoid the first few ones easily. The last two robots worked in concert to string a web of spinning, shrieking steel that whittled his health down no matter how fast he went. He tried dodging them, hiding behind cover, even clumsily trying to bat them out of the air with his sword - but he had never once made it to the boss with more than two-thirds of his health remaining. The boss ninja himself too attacked with these shurikens, hitting with deadly accuracy and almost always aiming for Jun's head. It was getting on his nerves, and more than once he contemplated looking for the other Leave Portal and trying again with Mikiseki.

"But she won't come," he said aloud to no one in particular. "She just won't listen to me, we could have cleared this easy…"

The hour dragged on slowly. Although Jun could sleep, it was mildly disorientating to do so in the Death state, where he had no avatar to move around in and so lacked the the sensation of gravity and other feelings. Instead, Jun eyed the raised platform of the boss room, and thought long and hard. It was clear that brute force wouldn't work. Storing all his Special Gauge for an all-out assault on the boss wasn't good enough either. If he had some sort of extra defense, maybe he could have tanked those blasted shurikens better, last long enough to out-damage the boss…

The image of Turquoise Duro and Kihara Gunsou's emotionless face floated to to the front of his mind. Jun groaned at the recollection of his rival in love - there was no doubt that his foe would have an easier time here. Those thick armour plates of his would have no problems deflecting the stars being thrown at him, which were tiny in comparison. In contrast, the flimsy leather-like outer appearance of Klein Apprentice couldn't stand more than a few heavy blows before breaking apart, and it wasn't much more effective against the razor-sharp throwing stars.

Were his efforts all in vain? Soloing a dungeon is an impressive feat in itself, but perhaps it wasn't so wise to do so right off the bat.

Before he knew it, Jun had drifted into a stupor. The one-hour duration of the Death state elapsed, and with a soft blue glow, Klein Apprentice respawned at the beginning of the dungeon, sword sheathed at his side as feeling returned to his hands and fingers. The exit was to his left, and the dungeon was to his right. On one side was safety and the comfort of his home, but that way lay mediocrity. At the end of the dungeon, a shiny metallic right-hand gauntlet was suspended upon the raised platform - the promised reward that would vanish the moment Jun stepped into the room and have the ninja take its place. Only one of these options made his heartbeat quicken. Only one option could induce his fingers to curl around the handle of his sword. His mind was already made up before his brain could come to a logical conclusion, and once again, Jun stood before the invisible line at the entrance to the dungeon. As he knew from his recently acquired experience, taking one more step beyond this threshold would cause the first minion of ten to appear.

But this time, Jun felt different. More resigned to his fate. Calmer. In his mind's eye, he saw the different approaches he had taken, and how each of them had ended in failure and ten Burst Points lost. If there was anything he had learnt from his time mixing Acceleration and kendo training, it was that he could only advance by learning something new. And it was that thing he desired most - strength above all.

His grip tightened on the handle of his wooden sword. For an instant, he didn't feel like a virtual avatar twice as tall as he was in real life, but an echo of his old, scared self, fingers straining to wrap around the girth of an unfamiliar bamboo practice blade. Klein Apprentice's yellow eyes narrowed in concentration, and unnoticed by him, his weapon began to glow faintly, distorting the air around it as though in a heat haze.

"It's like a training ring," Jun realised, "Progression in steps to learn something, and a test at the end. A test of strength- no, a test of _skill-_ "

Klein Apprentice put one foot beyond the invisible line, and the first automaton materialised out of the darkeness. A squat cylindrical robot that appeared to float in midair, it warbled and a slit opened in the middle of its body.

Jun closed his eyes. A second became an eternity, a breath, the roaring wind. His senses chilled and amplified, waiting for the smallest signal.

 _Whoosh_ , the first shuriken was fired. Aimed above his right shoulder, Jun opened his eyes and locked onto a point in space where the shuriken would pass through - and moved his sword with all his strength to intersect that point. His mouth opened in a silent scream.

He missed. Klein Apprentice's movement continued, and he smoothly took another step forwards to change his momentum in a deliberate, meaningful motion. The automaton at the far end beeped, trembled slightly, and fired another shuriken. _Whoosh!_

"Hi-yah!" Jun shouted and swung his sword through the air. A gentle 'ping' was heard as his sword clipped the edge of the spinning shuriken. It fell to the ground and clattered loudly, but Jun didn't stop moving. Eyes already anticipating the next target quickly locked onto the robot. He counted down the heartbeats until the robot fired again.

 _Whoosh!_

Jun flicked his sword upwards. "Take this!" he cried. Another 'ping' of metal on wood, louder and clearer than the first, reached his ears like a musical instrument he was playing with a sword. "It's working!" he thought triumphantly. He took his last step forwards - and brought the tip of his sword squarely onto the robot's head, denting its thin helmet and instantly depleting what little health it had. The minion shook, flickered in and out of existence, and exploded into a shower of rainbow pixels.

"Only nine more to go," he thought to himself as a grin lit up his features.

It was slow progress. So many near-misses and false starts had put Jun below 70% health, the threshold at which he considered himself healthy enough to take on the boss, forcing him to exit the dungeon to slowly recover his health before a restart. But soon he was comfortable with blocking the incoming shurikens with his sword, and he clambered over the smoking remains of the ninth and tenth minions into the boss room. Where he had been calm and methodical before, now he was finally feeling anxious and nervous again. The ninja was nothing like these mindless, static automatons - this boss ran, jumped, and dashed almost like a human character in other virtual reality games. The solid green eye slit it carried on its helmet was the only indicator that it was more like a duel avatar than a human.

Jun crossed the final threshold. "It's all or nothing now," he whispered under his breath. The prize gauntlet disppeared from the platform, and the outline of the boss appeared. Three shurikens were clutched between the fingers of its right hand. The ninja stared at Jun, its gaze boring into his eyes. Jun tensed up, waiting for the ninja to move… And it did.

The ninja dashed right _for_ him, unsheathing a short sword as it did so! Instinct screamed at Jun to move, and he stumbled backwards, almost too late to dodge. The ninja landed on the ground gracefully and faced Jun directly - and the sword chopping down from overhead.

The two swordsmen ducked and weaved strikes while avoiding the others. Jun was stronger physically, and the few hits he dealt chunked the ninja considerably. However, it was very difficult to catch him in the first place, and every few seconds or so the boss simply dashed away to hurl a smattering of shurikens at him. Deflecting a few of them with effort, Jun hopped over the raised platform to close in.

"Don't test me!" he shouted. The ninja parried his strike again, but Jun followed up with a sword skill, aiming for its neck. The ninja's final parry also shattered its own sword. Shards of metal clattered to the ground and disappeared in flashes of light. The ninja dashed away again and fired five shurikens in quick succession, all aiming for Jun's head.

The combined feelings of Jun's frustration and anger, warring with the logical response to deflect the incoming metal, fused and melded into a single action that made Jun bring his blade up to bear. His very limits were tested as he blocked the shurikens, bouncing them off his sword and sending them in random directions as he screamed wordlessly.

The fifth and last shuriken in the volley was just a second slower than the rest. Jun whirled around and brought his sword around. "Uwooahh!"

His blade glowed a dazzling, bright green as he parried the final shuriken, a colour that he hadn't seen before. The last shuriken wasn't merely deflected - it rocketed right back towards its owner. Time itelf seemed to slow as Jun stared in amazement at the spinning three-pointed star, flying straight and true at the head of the ninja.

Clang! It embedded itself in the faceplate of the boss, knocking it backwards theatrically and presenting Jun a fine opportunity. Yelling a battle cry, he lept forwards and sank his sword into the chest of the ninja, draining the final bar of its health.

"Is it over?" he breathed heavily. The expressionless face of the ninja stared back, and it unexpectedly spoke in a flat, electronic voice:

"Not yet."

The ninja shattered in a starburst of light. The words **[YOU WIN!]** lit up in the middle of his vision, along with other congratulatory notifications. The shining gauntlet from earlier winked back into existence on the platform, waiting for him to claim it. Without hesitation, Jun reached out and touched its surface. As soon as he did, the gauntlet disappeared, and a silver card appeared in his display.

 **[YOU GOT AN ENHANCED ARMAMENT! «GENJI GAUNTLET»]** the announcment read. Jun smiled as he selected to equip it. His right hand glowed bright neon green - the same colour as the ninja's eyeslit - and the gauntlet appeared on his forearm and wrist, its colour adjusting to match his avatar's deep blue hue. Jun let go of his sword and clenched his fingers, then straighten them quickly as how the ninja did whenever it threw a shuriken. Three steel shurikens were immediately launched from the gauntlet, embedding themselves into the platform deeply. Jun gazed at the form of the gauntlet happily, and he set off for the exit.

One more notification blinked in the corner of his display. A message? Jun focused on it, bringing up a new announcment:

 **[YOU LEARNT A NEW SKILL! «DEFLECT»]**

An icon of two arrows bouncing off his sword was displayed besides it. Jun read the description aloud: "'Reflects incoming projectiles and deflect oncoming strikes. Costs 30% Special Gauge per activation.' Oh hell yes!" he pumped his fist in delight, and practically ran out of the dungeon.

.

"Serial dilution, Gunsou, is just diluting the solution by the same ratio at least twice. Here, let me explain it to you again..."

Misawa explained in exasperation as Gunsou stared at the scribbled figures and diagrams blankly. They were in Misawa's room after school, and for more than an hour Gunsou had been hanging onto her every word, trying to make sense of the word salad he was being fed - but he was no closer to understanding Biology than he was before. It wasn't that Misawa was a bad teacher - on all accounts, she was doing a good job explaining it - but somehow even these explanations were beyond his comprehension. "I'm going to the bathroom," he said dejectedly, shaking off Misawa and her protests. He stepped into the bathroom down the corridor and opened the tap - steamy, warm water poured from it, which he gratefully gathered in his hands and washed his face with.

Words, figures, numbers, graphs... How was this all useful? What relevance would this mumbo-jumbo have to him a year from now, or even ten? This wouldn't even make him stronger in Brain Burst-

Gunsou sighed. Brain Burst. It was all that he had been thinking of, daydreaming about it in class and longing for the sensation of the duel avatar on his body. This wasn't any old game he had played with before - those simple puzzle games or even the rare arcade game he could play for brief periods - sure, they were satisfying, and he had fun with them, but Brain Burst was just that different. Even if he got beaten into the ground, even if he was sniped through the head from somewhere he couldn't see, there was just something profoundly immersive and powerful about being able to fight with his own two hands and clobber his opponent to zero health.

He had curled his hands into fists without even realising it. Was he addicted to Brain Burst, Gunsou wondered, or was it because he could be powerful in the virtual world?

He dried his face on a sweet-smelling towel and headed back to the room, where a very cross-looking Misawa worked on a virtual whiteboard, drawing step-by-step diagrams. As soon as he sat down at their table, she slid the whiteboard over and resumed talking immediately.

"So tell me the reasons for serial dilution, and I'll know if you understood them, okay?" she said. "Or better yet - explain the steps to me. We'll go slowly."

Gunsou furrowed his brow at her neat sketches and coughed. "Uhh, so, first we have the stock solution, because... Because that's what we have originally..." he looked to Misawa for confirmation, and she nodded.

"And then... Draw a tenth of a millilitre of dye from it, and add nine-tenths of a millilitre of water to it to dilute by one-tenth-" he said, but Misawa cut him off. She sighed deeply and pointed to another part of the whiteboard. "No, you dummy. You need to look at the goal in mind. You can't just start diluting like that if you don't know what you want to have in the end! You need to do your calculations first, or you'll end up with some weird figure at the end."

Gunsou sighed. This was going to be a long day.

"You know... I kind of got it already, but that was more because I was reading the textbook," Gunsou protested an hour later, just as Misawa closed her virtual whiteboard. "I think... I'll just go back and read it myself, and see how far I go with that."

With his back turned to Misawa, he missed her shocked expression. Her hand shivered in midair for a moment before she recovered, and replied, "Well, do it then! Exams are less than a week away. You've got to buck up already!"

"This is only our first year," he said, "We'll be fine. These aren't high-school entrance exams yet-"

"And those are next year," she countered. "It's going to be even more difficult than this, and I sure as hell don't want to keep teaching you until we're sixteen."

The legal age had been lowered to sixteen years for all Japanese citizens more than ten years ago. Three years from now, Misawa and Gunsou would be legally adults, and have to face the world. And she was right - Gunsou couldn't keep relying on Misawa forever. If there was one thing he's learnt from Brain Burst...

"It's alright, Misawa," he stood up and rested his hand on her shoulder, "I'll get myself through this. Thank you for your help."

"O- Oh. Okay." Apparently, that wasn't the response Misawa was expecting, and she blushed briefly. "Will you be staying for dinner? Or would you like to go out and eat?"

Deep in thought, Gunsou considered the tradeoff. If he stayed home to eat, he wouldn't be going out again. If he went out to eat, that would be time spent walking around, time not studying, time... Time he could use to play a duel or two.

"Alright, let's go out." he said. Misawa nodded and shooed him out of her room to change.

The two children left the apartment blocks. Renting bicycles parked downstairs with their Neuro Linkers, Gunsou and Misawa cycled to a burger restaurant that they hadn't eaten in a long time. As they were served by the moody cap-wearing staff, Gunsou gazed out of the windows, down the hills that they had cycled up and soaked their shirts in the resulting sweat. Misawa brought the tray with their burgers and fries to the table, and they began to eat.

Gunsou munched his fries enthusiastically while Misawa stared at him. "Aren't you going to eat the burger?" she said quizzically. Gunsou swallowed a mouthful and shrugged. "Cold fries aren't nice to eat, but the burger will always be good."

He resumed eating and Misawa stared at him shovelling handfuls of salty strips of potatoes with a withering, disapproving glance. "You eat like an animal," she said, but tucked in without another complaint. Gunsou finished his fries and burped happily. "Ah, that was good. Now, for the burger-" he was saying.

 _SLAM!_

"A duel? Who?" Gunsou thought. His surroundings froze in time, turned electric blue, and faded as the familiar weight of his duel avatar reached his senses. In the bombed-out mockup of the fast food restaurant, the End Of The Century stage threw rippling shadows, cast by fires in rusty barrels. The glowing words **[FIGHT!]]** appeared before Gunsou, as did the name of his opponent:

"Guardsman Railgun," Gunsou muttered. The words reverbated in the thick chest of Turquoise Duro. Armour plates clicked into place around his neck, protecting the vulnerable areas. Following the direction of the Guide Cursor, a light blue arrow indicating the direction of his nearest enemy, Gunsou turned and faced the inside of the restaurant. Was Guardsman Railgun onn the other side of it? He didn't wait to find out. Gunsou jogged out of the building, making imprints in the cracked earth as he did so, and looked at the roof of the building. It seemed to be a likely hiding spot, but there weren't any handholds or other easy ways up.

Just as Gunsou was attempting to climb the walls, his luck ran out. Guardsman Railgun sauntered out, his gun at a lazy angle on his shoulder. "I wouldn't do that, if I were you," he said, "The stairs are that way, anyway." His crimson opponent jerked a thumb backwards.

Gunsou stared incredulously, but he backed down when he felt that Railgun seemed to have no intention of fighting at all. The thick neck armour stayed where it was on Turquoise Duro's torso. "How'd you know about that?" he asked.

Railgun laughed, a curious mixture of smugness and mirth. "I work here," he said, and turned to look at Duro. "Did you enjoy the fries, or are you just that starving? Christ, I haven't seen anyone wolf down their food like that unless they're homeless."

"It's a treat!" Gunsou said, and crossed his arms defensively. "I don't come to Wcdonalds very often. Today's just a break because I have exams soon."

"Isn't it the other way around? Work hard, play hard?"

The massive shoulders of Turquoise Duro shrugged. "Whatever. Anyway, are we fighting, or what?"

Railgun tugged at his cap and sat down on a loose pile of concrete. "'Course not. I just had a hunch I knew you when you walked down the door, so I went to the back to check out the Matching List. And what do you know…"

Gunsou blinked. "You challenged me just to say hello?" To which Railgun nodded and said, "What else? It's not like I'm particularly in need for points at the moment, unlike someone with big blue stick."

Both boys sniggered. Finally releasing his neck armour, Gunsou sat down, sending a shudder through the ground as he did so, and stared at one of the burning barrels. "Why are you working, Railgun? Don't you have exams or something?" he asked.

His opponent grunted something and had to repeat himself when Gunsou leaned in. "Money," Railgun said, "I need the money. My dad's a piece of trash and he takes welfare for himself. This is my part-time job."

"I see," Gunsou began, but Railgun waved him away. "I don't need your pity. I'm getting out of this shithole before I turn 16 and the welfare stops. If you don't have a game plan, Duro, you're gonna be wishing you were like me."

"Oh." Gunsou mused at his curious statements. How could such a brutally efficient fighter just throw a battle like this? And even give him life advice? Well, it wasn't as if they had to fight… But still, Gunsou squirmed uncomfortably as his opponent rested his head on a crumbling brick, and soon began to snore. Soon, he began to feel drowsy as well, and when his eyelids began to droop, his armour curled up beneath the back of his head to form a support…

Someone shook him awake. "How's that feel?" Guardsman Railgun asked. "Naps during Acceleration are just as effective as they are in real life," he added. Gunsou rubbed his eyes and got to his feet unsteadily. "Amazing. I didn't know that worked too."

"And now you do. Call it a draw- nah, better. Let's end it with a win for you, alright?" Railgun held out his hand for Gunsou to shake, which the latter eyed doubtfully.

"You're just going to let me win? Like that?" He clasped Railgun's hand and squeezed, but even that gentle action was enough to make Railgun grimace in pain and have a thin slice of health shaved off.

"Call it an act of generosity. On the house. Whatever," Railgun shrugged, and massaged his sore hand. "I figure I can give away _some_ points from hunting Enemies in the Field." When Gunsou raised an eyebrow, Railgun sighed and shooed him in a manner that somewhat resembled Misawa. "Take it or leave it. And don't expect it again."

 **[YOU WIN!]**

"How's the burger?"

It took Gunsou a full second to realise he was back in reality with a mouthful of burger. "It's… It's good," he said, and promptly resumed chewing. Misawa glanced at him, but looked away after only a moment. Gunsou shifted his gaze to sneak a peek at the counters, but he found no trace of the young teenaged worker that had served them minutes before.

"Looking for someone?" Misawa said. Gunsou took just a second too long to eventually reply, "No… Not at all." She sighed and balled up the wrapper, rolling her eyes as she did so. "C'mon, back to study. And for god's sake, don't fall asleep later- why are you laughing?"

Gunsou tried and failed to erase the smirk from his face. "Never mind. Shall we go?"

 **tbc.**

Author's Notes:  
Hello everyone! I'm back from a hiatus caused by university, exams, and a veritable crapton of work. Now that all that's done, I am more than glad to work on this baby again. A draft of the last three (!) chapters have been written, an ending I'm happy with is on the cards, and my new computer, assembled by yours truly, is a sight for sore eyes. Stay tuned for more updates! We're almost at the end.

-Destination


	11. Existence

**Existence**

.

* * *

 **Wednesday, June 1, 2039 AD**

* * *

"I'm begging you, I need your help please!" Gunsou clasped his massive hands together and bowed his head before his duel opponent. A bemused, blinking Cove Fighter stared at him for a moment before bursting into giggles.

"Well, well, I can't say no to that, I guess…" He scratched his head and took a seat on a nearby rock. "What's it you need?" Gunsou looked up incredulously and glanced at the light blue avatar, shaking his foot without a care in the world. He swallowed and inhaled, and he said earnestly:

"I want to become as strong as you."

Exam week had been harrowing. Even with constant naps in Accelerated time, there was no discounting the mental exhaustion that came with cramming thirteen weeks of content into a week's worth of time to study. Gunsou lived for only three things in that week: studying, living, and Brain Burst, the last of which was limited to an occasional duel or two to make up for the lost Points spent napping. Even then, there was a marked absence of some familiar faces, most probably fellow students cramming for exams.

But now that his mind was mentally free, Gunsou now wanted to learn the very thing that bested him in his first real duel, the adversary who taught him the value of teamwork - and the first rule of fighting.

Cove Fighter flinched backwards as Gunsou threw a quick punch. He toppled backwards over the rock he was sitting on - and then sprang to his feet, fists already up and protecting his face. Leaping over the rock, Gunsou struck out with a kick he knew wouldn't connect, seeing his opponent step back accordingly - then he lashed out with a back thrust, carrying his momentum over and increasing the force of his kick with extra armour.

Even if it Cove Fighter managed to catch his foot at the very end of his strike, the surprise reflected in his eyes did not go unnoticed. Shaking his foot out of his grasp, Gunsou hopped over just as Cove Fighter closed in with a straight. But he kept his eyes on his adversary's free hand - Cove Fighter wouldn't fight so easy, would he?

Sure enough, the sky blue avatar feinted and made a right hook. Anticipating it, Gunsou blocked it with ease, his thickened armour absorbing the brunt of the blow. Just as he was about to return the strike, however, Fighter's leg blurred into motion - and nothing Gunsou could do would stop the foot sinking into his side, crushing unprotected flesh, and showering the ground with red sparks.

He gritted his teeth and pushed Cove Fighter away. "N-Nice," he said, "That's what I want to learn - how do you do it? How do you fight with everything you've got without even thinking about it?"

Fighter nodded with understanding, though his answer took Gunsou by surprise. "Always be yourself," he said slowly, "Express yourself, have faith in yourself. To change with change is the changeless state."

Gunsou blinked like an owl at this 'advice.' "What is that supposed to mean?" he said. Cove Fighter chuckled and shrugged. "You aspire to be like me, but I tell you - there's no being _me_. You can learn from me, but you will always be yourself. No matter how long I teach you, regardless of how alike our combat style is, you will never think like me, move like me, even act like me. But…"

Gunsou felt the footstep before he heard it - turned with his palm and thickened it with armour just as Cove Fighter's kick was a mere foot length away from him, and slapped it out of the air. The two of them collided with each other face to face, and Fighter grinned as Gunsou's gaze bored into him.

"Never take your eyes off your opponent," they echoed in unison.

.

"Whew, Miki. Check this out." Jun cheerfully held up a pair of denim shorts cut scandulously short. "You'd look great in that- _Oof!_ " Mikiseki slapped him on his back, hard enough to make heads turn in the department store. "You're helpless," she hissed, "Let me pick what _I_ want to wear! I'm not wearing that- that _thing_ you call clothing!"

Jun shrugged and licked his lips. "I'm just saying, it would look good on you. C'mon, don't be like that," he stroked her arm as he appraised the selection of dresses in her arms. "I've seen your figure. I think it would be nice. Like, look at that girl over there," he gestured at a girl in the queue for fitting rooms, "Damn, she looks hot. Don't you think so?" Jun punctuated his sentence with a low whistle to Mikiseki's chagrin.

They were on a date in the shopping district, and Mikiseki had been looking forwards to this after the end of their exams. Not only did she want to get some new clothes to impress Jun, she thought getting some time together could repair their relationship, which was especially strained after all their gaming and studying over the last month. This outing, she hoped, would be one of several more so that she would need more than one hand to count the number of times they had met up for something that was neither Brain Burst-related or academic in purpose.

But it was going South, in more ways than one. Sure, Jun was positively delighted that Mikiseki had asked him out, and he was definitely enthusiastic in wanting to go shopping with her… Almost too much so. Perverted taste aside, Mikiseki had been looking at Jun all day and could only come to one conclusion - Jun was more interested in checking out other girls than her. It was written all over his face and etched in his eyes - the instant any teenaged girl entered his line of sight, his eyes flicked down, then up. Never their face. He called them hot, labelled them cute, but he didn't say she was.

As if she needed further confirmation, his feedback for her chosen outfits was decidedly lukewarm. Her dresses failed to elicit anything more than a raised eyebrow, and his only reaction to a pair of slim jeans and tank top she had picked out was a wordless thumbs-up. Finally, feeling trepidation as she stared at the innocuous-looking pair of shorts, she bit her lip and finally tried it out, pairing it with a t-shirt that bared her midriff. She felt so _exposed_ as she examined herself in the mirror, anxiously tugging it down to hide the curvature of her buttocks. Only the thought of Jun's approval, however, gave her the courage to open the door and call him for feedback.

Jun's eyes could have popped from their sockets. "That's amazing, Miki!" he gushed. "I mean, wow, I didn't think you'd try it, but _whew_ … You're sexy." he nodded his head in approval. Whether from embarrassment or from praise, Mikiseki blushed strongly. "You.. You prefer this over the dresses?" she asked.

"Yes I do," Jun said matter-of-factly. "Turn around, will you?" he grasped her lightly by her waist, nearly eliciting a gasp from her, as he examined her from all angles. "Perfection," he smiled broadly. "You're beautiful, Miki. Exactly like a girlfriend."

Mikiseki walked back into the changing room briefly to pick out a light pink dress she had worn earlier. "But what about this? I quite like it, and- Jun!"

He had followed her into the changing room, and the curtain swung shut behind them. The warmly-lit changing room suddenly felt very small as Jun snaked an arm around Mikiseki's waist. "Look at us, Miki," he crooned into her ear as he held her close, "We look like a great couple, don't you think? Online, offline, anywhere in the world. Just you and me."

"What's gotten into you, Jun?" Mikiseki groaned as she fought the urge to wriggle out of his grip. "You're tickling me! Slow down!" He obeyed her, but only just, for his hands moved slightly lower and came to a rest on her ass, making all sorts of shivers run up her spine. Jun had turned her to face him, and in this proximity, there was only one thing he wanted from her.

It wasn't their first time kissing, to be sure, but Mikiseki's heart raced all the same. Jun had come a long way from the nervous boy she had met long ago, and the nostalgia was positively intoxicating. Jun might be groping her, an extremely daring move on his part, but Mikiseki could put up with it - if only just.

She broke their kiss first after a few moments. "Okay, _please_ let me pay for these, okay? Get outta here, people are going to notice if we exit the room together-"

Jun put on a faux expression of hurt. "But I don't wanna," he said, "Let me stay and watch, alright?" He sniggered but ducked her punch, and only then could she change in peace. In the end, she selected the pink and green dresses she had tried earlier, but Jun insisted on buying the shorts for her.

"Wear it," he insisted as soon as they had left the department store. "C'mon Miki, you gotta wear it. It looks great on you and I bought it just so that you wouldn't feel bad about it. Please?"

"It's not that, Jun," a flustered Mikiseki replied, "I like that you like it, okay, but I just don't want to wear it now! I'm not wearing the correct shoes for it, and also, I don't exactly want to change in a public bathroom or something…"

"Then, let's go to my place? Or yours?" he said, unaware of Mikiseki's clenched fist. "Trust me, you'll be pretty. I want everyone to see that." People brushed past them in the street, unaware of the emotions warring within Mikiseki and between the boy stepping closer to her.

The street was open, but she felt like walls were closing in from all sides. Nowhere to run. Mikiseki felt tiny, child-like, and the silhouette of Jun grew large in her mind's eye and distorted. She was being told to accepting something she couldn't, do something she wouldn't. Trembles ran down her back and her hands curled protectively to her chest.

"No."

"What did you say?" Jun's brow twitched. Mikiseki stood straight up, looked Jun in the eye, and fixed him with a steely resolve she hadn't had to summon since… Since she last visited a veterinary clinic.

"No," she said again, "I will not do this. Can't you just love me for who I am and not just what I wear?" She knew she had hit home when Jun's expression morped from pleasant hopefulness into a curious mixture of bewilderment and chagrin.

"What's the difference?" Jun said finally. "I love you, Mikiseki, believe me. But if you do, then…" he scratched his hair and looked left, right, up and down her body - but never her face. "… I don't get it. If you loved me like I love you, wouldn't you do what I asked of you?"

' _Won't you just let go of Teto, sweetie?'_

A long-repressed recollection surfaced to the forefront of her mind. Mikiseki took a deep breath, struggling to hold back tears. She had to focus on the here, think of the now. She had been right all along that Ichijo Jun was no longer the shy, nervous boy she was once infatuated with. He was someone… _Something_ she could no longer be with."

"It looks like I don't love you the same way, Jun." she said his name like a dirty word, revelling in his reactions as Jun quickly picked up on the turn of events. His hands curled and dug into his skin as she watched Jun quickly give in to unchecked, childish rage. She knew all his weak spots…

"You're _unfaithful_ ," Jun spat, his cheeks an ugly shade of scarlet. "You were sneaking behind my back all along, weren't you? Who was it?" Jun practically yelled and caused heads to turn. "Was it him? That guy? I beat him up easy, and this is how he gets back at me?"

"You're impossible to be with!" Mikiseki shrieked. "This is over!"

Jun made to grab her. "No it isn't-" he snarled. Mikiseki hopped out of reach, then leaned in and slapped Jun with all her strength. With a _clap!_ that shook her to the bone, she made a comical handprint in his cheek and sent him staggering into a passerby. Her heartbeat thundered in her ears as she plunged her hand into her paper shopping bag, fished out the offending pair of shorts, and hurled it at Jun's face.

"Farewell." Mikiseki turned and fled the scene, even as Jun's curses filled the air behind her.

.

Two blue duel avatars exchanged blows in a Japanese-style room, located within a building that was a convenience stall in the real world. It looked like a normal duel as one of them delivered a kick that sent his opponent flying and crashing into a pillar - but there was no timer, no Guide Cursor available to either player, and more conspicuously, there were no spectators watching them. There was only silence, punctuated by gasps for air and low thuds as the combatants fought. A low wind blew throughout their surroundings - the Unlimited Neutral Field, a boundless battleground in Accelerated World.

"C'mon, stop trying to hit me, and _hit me!_ " Cove Fighter crowed, and banged his fists together. Turquoise Duro narrowed his eyes and took up a defensive stance - but slowly shifted his weight forwards, his footsteps tracing a circle. He looked directly forwards, but never fixed his gaze on any one thing. He inhaled and saw everything and nothing.

Gunsou's request to learn from Cove Fighter had eventually been granted, though he had told him to follow a very specific set of instructions. They had to meet at precisely noon at the corner of Wcdonald's and Star Mugs, a popular location for youngsters to hang out and snack. Gunsou had to be in a comfortable location and position - whether sitting or lying down, he was going to be spending "quite a while" in Acceleration.

And quite a while it was. Gunsou had been training with Cove Fighter for nearly an entire week non-stop. If Gunsou thought his exams were tough, he was taking back that statement. Cove Fighter had forced him to unlearn everything he thought he had learned. To discard his armour. Meditate at night. Eat - _eat!_ \- only when he was allowed to. Gunsou hadn't believed that it was possible to eat in the game until Fighter had come back with a stack of sandwiches, which he claimed he had bought from an in-game shop.

Gunsou put that fond memory aside. He saw Cove Fighter change his fighting stance as they circled each other, and he remembered the times he had been tricked into reacting, the lessons every punch, every kick taught him. _"Research your own experience. Absorb what is useful Reject what is useless,"_ he had drilled into Gunsou day after day. A second passed, Gunsou saw no movement from his enemy - and he lept forwards, kicking as he did. Fighter expertly blocked his strikes, but that didn't discourage Gunsou. Landing, he quickly launched three jabs, pushing his opponent back and gaining ground.

Fighter feinted a left hook, and made to grapple Duro. Rather than depend on his armour to block his attempt, Gunsou let Fighter grab him, wincing as his lightly-armoured forearm was crushed, and turned - forcing Cove Fighter to turn with him. He stuck out a leg, tripping him up, and turned the tables on his teacher and mentor, and only now did he use Saint's Fist, this time to grab Cove Fighter and bodily throw him - hurling him over his shoulder and into the ground with an earthshattering _wham!_

Bringing a knee onto his dazed opponent, Gunsou held up a fist, where several blue-green plates rushed to it and doubled its size. "Yield!" he called out, and an approving nod and cough was Fighter's reply. "Damn, not bad…" he groaned and massaged his chest as Gunsou got off him. "Is that payback or something, kid?" Gunsou merely smiled as Fighter dusted himself off. "How'd you feel?" Cove Fighter asked.

Gunsou shrugged. "Same as ever. But, well, kind of like nothing, I'd say," he quickly added, "It's just… It's less thinking and more doing, I guess? Don't stop moving, always watch your opponent's eyes… Yeah. It's weird, but I don't think in words."

His mentor nodded and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I didn't think you'd get it, but it seems… It seems you know the way. I mean, I don't really expect much outta you to begin with, but hey - you've improved by a metric tonne. That's a win in my book!" Gunsou nodded and stretched, feeling all the aches and soreness after five Accelerated days of continous fighting. It still boggled his mind to think this was just _seven minutes_ of real time. "So, what now?" he asked.

"Nothing," Fighter replied. "I'm hardly the best teacher, and I think I've pretty much taught you all I know. But you know that's not important, right? _Research your own experience, absorb what is useful, reject what is useless-_ "

" _Add what is essentially my own,_ " Gunsou finished. "I got that. Thank you, Cove Fighter."

"Thank you, _friend_."

.

At the popular coffee hangout Star Mugs, a girl with flaming red hair drawing more than a few looks of envy placed her order. "A cappucino with caramel, and your name, Miss...?" the staff said.

"Kitamura," the girl said. "Kitamura as in _Northern Village_."

"Got it," the teenaged worker acknowledged and scribbled her name. "Please take this number, we'll deliver your order to you shortly!" Misawa accepted the plastic stand with the number '21' printed on it in fancy cursive font, and looked for a table. She was meeting Gunsou later for a drink, but finding a table would be difficult...

She spotted a table with a dark-haired boy with his head down, apparently napping, so she scooted over between the backs of two chairs. "Pardon me, but may I sit? Every other table is taken..."

This boy didn't move. Biting her lip, Misawa took a seat directly opposite him, and hoped he wouldn't mind the intrusion, especially when Gunsou was coming later. Just as her drink arrived, the boy woke with a start, blinking several times before looking around. And when his eyes settled on her, they grew as large as dinner plates and Misawa swore she could see him panic. "W-Who are you?" he asked.

Misawa chuckled. "Sorry about that. Everywhere's full, do you mind if I sit here? I'm meeting my friend later." This boy bit his tongue, and after a moment's consideration, slowly nodded. "Y-yeah, I guess. Don't mind me, I'll just be playing my games."

Something about his tone made her raise an eyebrow, but she let it slide. "Thank you very much," she said.

The time was 12.07pm. Hopefully, Gunsou wouldn't be late, but her cappucino wouldn't stay warm forever.

 **tbc.**

Author's notes:  
One more chapter to go! I can't wait either.


	12. Transition (FIN)

**Transition**

.

* * *

"I can't believe that worked." Mikiseki murmured to herself. She wandered the streets of Tokyo, passing alley after alley of tiny shops, niche bars, and a secondhand bookstore. With her Neuro Linker switched on, a veritable torrent of ads bombarded her vision, jostling for space and attention as they hawked foods and goods. Unfortunately, she wasn't interested in the slightest; with a cutting-motion, she swept her hand through the air, closing all of the ads. Just as she did so, however, another notification popped up - the weather was taking a turn for the worse. Heavy showers were incoming, and when Mikiseki turned her gaze upwards, it was plain to see that the sky was overcast, heavy with steel-grey clouds. Of all the days to not bring out her umbrella…

" _It was going to be a great date after all,_ " She said to no one in particular as she ducked into a cafe and ordered a warm milk tea to ward off the chilly wind. Mikiseki spied a placard on the wall advertising free wireless access to the Global Net - and with it, the familiar pull into the other world. The world where she felt like a new self, when she had found love - and lost it in this one. Vestiges of times spent with Jun crossed her eyes for a second until she waved them away. They had come to an end. She would be fine with someone else… Someone else.

Her lips had moved before she was aware of it. "Burst Link," she whispered.

 _Slam!_ Mikiseki stared at the Matchmaking List for a good few minutes, considering players and ticking them off. Berry Dragoon was strong, very similar combat style to Jun, but loudmouthed and arrogant. Halide Beacon was a nice girl, but between the two of them they had virtually no combat capability. Plasma Horizon himself was seeking a new partner after dumping Auroral Gazer in a public quarrel. Which only left… Guardsman Railgun.

Mikiseki scratched her head. This was not someone just about to welcome her with open arms. First of all, he was a red type, and all the reds she had ever seen preferred to work alone or backstab the people they worked with. Second, and more importantly, he must know that she used to be affiliated with Jun - if you saw Klein Apprentice, the average player could be damned sure they would be facing her as Spring Renascentia together with him. Would her reputation be beyond saving, then? She took in a breath and clicked on his name, and selected 'DUEL.'

The world fell away from her as she took in the sights and sounds of a new one. The heels of Spring Renascentia touched the flat, featureless stone of a jet-black street, with ominous spires protruding from buildings all around her - the Demon City. A balanced stage with no particular properties except that it hurt terribly to fall down on the environment. From somewhere beyond her sight, the shimmer of a red duel avatar glowed and lit the alley of a building across the street from her.

 **[FIGHT!]**

Guardsman Railgun stepped out to face Mikiseki with a polite nod. He was confused - and understandably so. Mikiseki _never_ challenged anyone by herself, even if she could. It was just so much more _efficient_ to have someone else fight for her. Which was, in fact, the very reason she had initiated this meeting.

"Hey Railgunner~" she called cheerily and extended her hand in a come-hither motion. "I heard you've been busy! What's up?" Railgun slowly lowered his gun-arm and walked closer when he sensed no threat from her. The fact that they were the only combatants with visible Health Gauges should have been a clear sign no one else was around, but Railgun's discreet side-to-side glances told Mikiseki that this was a new habit he had learnt - one that would keep himself safe. But safe from what?

"Nothing much," he said. "Just cruising the Match List. You know it, right?" Mikiseki smiled broadly and shook her head. "I know you're up to something and I want in. I'm Level Four now, you know?" She leaned in and whispered theatrically for emphasis. " _Unlimited Neutral Burst._ Where you can stay as long as you like and farm all the Enemies you want."

Railgun said nothing, but nodded slowly. After a second of waiting, Mikiseki pressed onwards: "Can I join you? Please? You shoot, I'll heal. Just give me a little bit of Points!" He cocked his head in response to that, as though he was finally recognising her as an ally instead of a nuisance.

"Sounds good to me," he finally said. "Someone to help me log Enemy spawn points would be good too. That's what you're really after, isn't it?" Railgun shot her a quizzical look, "Information?"

She smiled and nodded confidently, even as her chest tightened a bit. "Woopsie, you got me there. But it's fine with you, right?" When he shrugged and nodded, she giggled and held out her hand. "It's a deal! Please take care of me."

Railgun took her hand and shook. "My pleasure."

.

Elsewhere in Shibuya, Jun walked the streets, looking for cover as the sky threatened rain. "Goddamn it…" he muttered to himself as he pushed past people. "What the hell is wrong with you? It really would look good on you, but you still won't trust me? The nerve of you…"

A blur caught his eye. He turned and spotted a cute girl, dressed in shorts and a halter top with a denim vest that he'd label 'casually sexy.' "Burst Link!" he said immediately.

 _Slam!_ In practiced motions, Jun brought up an oft-used application - one used to make user avatars or create templates. Quickly and easily, while people all around him were frozen mid-step, Jun scanned the posture and clothing of the girl on the street, and within minutes he had a rough model of her. Just another one to add to his collection of many, _many_ more girls, varying in heights and dressed in all sorts of ways.

The scene unfroze as he exited Acceleration. Slightly calmer now, Jun watched as the girl walked away and was lost in the sea of shoppers and office workers looking for lunch. His own stomach rumbled as he realised that he too, had yet to eat. Perhaps fast food again at WcDonald's? As thunder growled overhead, Jun hastened his pace and reached it just as the first drops of rain began to fall. As he scanned the restaurant for empty tables, he bit his lip in frustration. If Mikiseki was here, she'd help him order his food. She knew what he liked. If she was around, he wouldn't have to worry about getting a table and ordering food at the same time.

There was only one reason she'd break up with him like this - she was with someone else. Someone she could easily persuade to go along with her. Someone who wouldn't argue with her to go to her favourite coffee place and sit inside the absurdly cramped booths…

"Kihara Gunsou," Jun snarled between gritted teeth, "You stole my girlfriend again." His hunger temporarily forgotten, Jun spied a seat right at the glass of the wall of the restaurant. He quickly sat down and connected to the Global Net. _Slam!_

It didn't take very long for Brain Burst to load, and as soon as Jun could move again, he quickly opened the Matching List. It was the holidays and the list was full of familiar names - with some new Level Ones mixed among them. Jun hit a few options to sort the list by highest Level first and it quickly shrunk in length: _Berry Dragoon, Cove Fighter, Guardsman Railgun, Spring Renascentia,_ and finally _Turquoise Duro._ He stabbed the name, and a stylised dialog box fell from the sky with one word written on it: **DUEL?**

"Well, of course I want to." Jun hit the button. _Slam!_

Darkness rushed in from every side, clinging to Jun's face like a silk blindfold. His avatar loaded and his feet touched hard ground, but as soon as his eyes adjusted to the darkness…

"What the _fuck_ ," Jun said as he blinked and rubbed water out of his eyes, "It can rain here too?"

.

 _"Who challenged me now?"_ Gunsou wondered. He had just left his house for the nearby Star Mug that he was supposed to meet Mikiseki at. The Health Gauge and name of his challenger dropped from the sky on chains, and when he saw it, his heart sank too. Jun challenging him could only mean he was throwing a tantrum again.

Then he noticed a new notification, a glowing red light just under his Health Gauge. Focusing his attention on it made a dialog box appear:

 **Storm Inbound!**

 **Distant Objects Are Closer Than They Appear! The Stage Will Flood Over The Battle! Don't Drown!**

"Well, that's just great," Gunsou said dryly. He curled his hands into fists and felt the reliable plates of armour cover his forearms. As he walked towards the general direction of Klein Apprentice, puddles of water sloshed around as he stepped in them.

If not for the hate-filled glare of Klein Apprentice's eyes, Turquoise Duro might have walked right into him. Rain made a constant _pitter-patter_ sound as water ran off Klein Apprentice's robes and wooden sword.

"You stole my girlfriend again, didn't you?" His boyish voice, dark with anger, carried clearly despite the rain. "You've ruined a good day. You ruined a great date. Why can't you stop _bothering_ me?"

"Dude, I haven't been anywhere near her for a long time now," Turquoise Duro said. "Why would she stay with me at all?"

"You lie!" Klein Apprentice's voice distorted as he screamed, "I gave her everything she wanted! But it's not enough," he dropped his voice to a whisper, barely audible over the rain, "It seems that she sees something in you that I don't have."

Gunsou's spine tingled uncomfortably. The feet of Turquoise Duro slid back in ankle-deep water as he took up a defensive stance. In the corner of his eyes, he could just make out the outlines of spectators gathering under shelter to watch them. Would Cove Fighter be watching him? It was probably the case.

" _I hate you, Kihara Gunsou,_ " the blue swordsman spat, "But never so much as now." His sword shimmered as he swung it over his head. "Uwooohh!"

Even with the anger giving him to recklessness, Klein Apprentice was no less dangerous than when he was calm. His opening strike was flawless, an overhead feint that changed to a swing from the side. The falling rain obscured his senses, and Gunsou strained to not blink in the face of an enraged lion. But he didn't move a single inch-

 _Clunk!_

Because he didn't need to. Without having made any movement or uttering a command, reliable blue armour rushed to his side, thickening his waist and absorbing what would otherwise be a deadly blow with ease. The follow-up strike from Klein Apprentice was similarly met with a short movement of Turquoise Duro's elbow; the wooden weapon cracked loudly on his armour. As Klein Apprentice finished his opening attack, Turquoise Duro pushed back - punching straight ahead with a fist, with three plates already gathering at the tips to form a makeshift knuckleduster.

"Oof!" Duro's punches were slow compared to his sword strikes, but the mass behind them simply couldn't be ignored. Despite only having received glancing blows to his shoulders and arms, Klein Apprentice was shoved this way and that - between dodging his attacks and getting hit by them, it was immediately obvious that he was the inferior combatant at punching distance.

His old self would have been worried at this point. Jun always resorted to tricks, dirty tactics, whenever he felt that he was outclassed by his opponent. But now he was prepared. He had something no one else knew and the perfect opportunity to use it. With all of his willpower, he set his sword aside and stood straight, daring his opponent to punch. Turquoise Duro did, and time seemed to slow. His fist was a great deal larger than usual with all the extra armour on it.

"Deflect!" Apprentice roared. His Special Gauge, having slowly filled all this time, dropped sharply and his sword glowed neon green. His blade blurred into action and intersected with the oncoming fist-

 _Wham!_ The impact shook Klein Apprentice to the core. His sword would have broken with a regular attack like that; instead, Turquoise Duro's armour splintered and broke into pieces as all of its forward motion was halted abruptly. Red sparks sprayed from his broken armour as he was forced back, staggering - Gunsou's vision turned red with agony as he felt his hand burn as though he had punched a brick wall!

Sensing weakness, Klein Apprentice closed in. Now he was on the offensive, his sword making swishing noises as he swung it this way and that. Clutching his right hand, Turquoise Duro clumsily retreated, blocking deadly blows with pieces of angled armour - and he slipped in the water and fell with a huge _splash!_

This was his chance. Klein Apprentice reversed his grip, pointed the business end of his wooden sword downwards, and stabbed with all his might! The point of his sword jabbed into Turquoise Duro's chest armour, forcing him down below the surface of the knee-deep water. Bubbles erupted from the surface as he screamed, a distorted gurgle of his last breath.

"Die, you moron, die!" Klein Apprentice snarled. He leaned on the sword and felt something beneath it begin to give. His adversary's Health Gauge ticked down slowly as he struggled uselessly-

 _Wham!_ A kick from behind- no, _underneath_ him, pushing him off-balance and weakening his superior position for a moment - but it was all that was needed. Turquoise Duro knocked aside the sword pinning him down, and broke free from his watery grave as he rolled up and onto his feet. He coughed and spluttered as no small amount of water poured from his mouth - but he was still alive. There was a clear difference in their Health Gauges - his was just above 60% full while Klein Apprentice's was a healthy 80% - but it wasn't impossible to catch up. Now that he knew how to fight, and the new counterattack Klein Apprentice had, he knew his opponent better. He knew his enemy better.

Turquoise Duro coughed one last time and rubbed his aching chest. He recalled the long and painful training he had had with Cove Fighter. _Research your own experience, absorb what is useful. Reject what is useless, add your own._ This duel wasn't about Burst Points or making good on a promise. This was personal. This was not the end.

He slid his feet apart in the deep water, coming above his knees now. Moving was difficult. Kicking was harder. But Klein Apprentice would also have less room to swing his sword. Turquoise Duro blinked to keep water out of his eyes, and kept them shut. He would have the advantage if Klein Apprentice struck first. All he had to do was feign weakness-

" **Snake Bite!** " His adversary cried, and lept forwards. Twin streaks of purple lit up the night.

-And opportunity presented itself. Armour sprang from his chest, back, and shoulders, slid over his arms and locked into place on his wrists and muscle. Turquoise Duro held up his hands as though to shield his face, and just in time too; the mid-ranged skill Klein Apprentice had unleashed, aimed right for his neck, bounced harmlessly off his reinforced forearms. A distance away, his robed opponent ground his teeth in anger. _Snake Bite_ had depleted a considerable amount of Klein Apprentice's remaining Special Gauge; he had too little left to use _Snake Bite_ or _Deflect_ again right away.

Turquoise Duro closed in, throwing up a wake as large as himself as he slogged through the water. He blocked several more strikes by Klein Apprentice, but the waist-deep water worked to slow him more than it did for Turquoise Duro. Having closed the gap sufficiently, he grabbed Apprentice's right wrist, inviting a mighty struggle. Enduring with gritted teeth, Turquoise Duro willed his armour into a vice-clamp around Klein Apprentice!

 _Ka-chunk!_ The reliable blue plates responded immediately and bound their linked arms tightly. Without his sword, Klein Apprentice was defenseless, and he lashed out with his free hand, scoring nothing more than a few glancing hits. Turquoise Duro chuckled and proceeded to headbutt him, leaving an impressive dent in Klein Apprentice's head and stunning him momentarily. When all of his combat potential was concentrated in his humble wooden sword, it didn't take very much to render him ineffective… Or so Turquoise Duro thought.

" **Equip Genji Gauntlet!** " Klein Apprentice bellowed. His left hand glowed a bright, dazzling green and a sleek armguard appeared on it. It looked like a cross between a samurai gauntlet and a card dealing machine. It wasn't cards that were being dispensed though, Turquoise Duro guessed, which would mean-

 _Whoosh!_ A tiny, three-pointed star flew out of its end, flying right for his head! Luckily, it bounced off his thick helmet, but it cost Turquoise Duro his attention and he involuntarily let go of Klein Apprentice, armour practically flying back from his hands to protect himself. With his free hand, Apprentice brandished his weapons, and now it was his turn to be on the offensive - spraying shurikens when Turquoise Duro was out of arms reach, and swatting his attempts to reach him if he got too close with his wooden sword.

The timer for the battle ticked down to 800 seconds remaining just as a burst of shurikens embedded themselves in an unarmoured part of Turquoise Duro and equalised their Health Gauges. Both of them were now at just below half Health, water was up to their chests, and it was getting increasingly difficult to even stay upright. Realising too late that he now stood a very real risk of drowning, Klein Apprentice turned this way and that, searching for a way up the nearby buildings. Spotting a doorway leading up to a balcony where a couple of spectators were perched, he waded his way towards it. It was slow progress, but he was sure Turquoise Duro and his bulky avatar was having even more trouble.

"Good luck, Apprentice! I've got a bet on you that you'll win!" A nearby violet avatar called out as he neared his destination. Klein Apprentice grinned and gave his supporter a thumbs-up, even though the rain probably made it hard to see his gesture. The stairs were just ahead, if he could just find it without tripping over them-

Where was Turquoise Duro? Compared to the noisy splashing that he had been making to get out of the flooded streets, there was nothing - nothing but water every way he looked for the towering heavyset avatar. His Health Gauge was slowly depleting, so he was definitely underneath its surface. He frantically searched his Inventory, scanned his menu for something, anything to locate his adversary-

"Look out!" a spectator screamed. But it was too late - like a leviathan from the depths, Turquoise Duro burst from the shallow waters directly behind Klein Apprentice! He had but a fraction of a second to muse at the ingenuity of the tactic - swimming deep enough to not be spotted, tracking him through murky waters - and a truckload of armour and fists descended upon his hapless head.

 _Crunch!_ The impact made Klein Apprentice's head swim and his vision blur even more than what the rain was already doing. He clumsily held his sword up - to Deflect, to soften the blow, to do anything - but Turquoise Duro kicked it out of his hands, sending it sinking below the surface of the flooded street. Without his primary weapon and still stunned from his last attack, the last thing he saw was Turquoise Duro's foot - and everything went black.

Armour retracted to their usual places as Turquoise Duro dragged the unconscious body of Klein Apprentice up the steps. The water still lapped at their ankles, but it was under shelter - and more importantly, he wouldn't Drown in it. Holding his breath underwater apparently did _not_ stop him from receiving a heavy damage penalty - Turquoise Duro had just a quarter of his Health remaining. Even though that was plenty compared to Klein Apprentice's 10% - low enough to colour his Health Gauge red instead of yellow - he thought death by stage traps was a disgraceful way to win.

Or maybe, he just wanted to save his own face. The timer had less than five minutes remaining, so they'd just have enough time to have a talk or something if Klein Apprentice woke up. No sooner had he settled on that than Klein Apprentice coughed once, twice, and stirred awake. "Christ," he croaked, "Is that what I get? You must really hate me, huh. Well, no hard feelings, asshole, but she'll cheat on you soon enough-"

"Cut it out," Turquoise Duro growled. "You're literally the only one that cares here. I'm not interested in your girlfriend, I literally want nothing to do with you." Elsewhere, spectators had begun to gather near their spot, hoping to catch a bit of their conversation. None of them could come closer than an arbitrary boundary ten metres in diameter, however, and the rain would drown out their words anyway.

"I refuse to believe it," Klein Apprentice was saying, "If you're so bad that you have to resort to this dirty fucking trick to get me, how is she still on your side?" Turquoise Duro sighed and simply glared at his adversary. "Maybe she knows taking your side is useless to her." Apprentice made to grab his sword, but it had been lost in the rising waters and all he felt was his empty side. "Great. Terrific. You win, okay? Just… Just stop this shit. Go away."

"'Kay then." Duro turned to walk up the stairs, when a gentle ping sounded in everyone's ears.

 **System-Wide Announcment!**

 **The First Threshold Has Been Reached! Playerbase Has Collectively Unlocked The Next Stage!**

 **«Areas» Can Now Be Captured! Win Duels In Areas To Contest!**

 **Reap Benefits From Captured Areas By Forming Legions!**

 **Continue Duel? YES / NO**

The timer overhead had frozen mid-progression, and the dialog box blinked expectantly. But that wasn't the only change that happened - the sky cleared up, all of the water drained away at terrific speed, revealing Klein Apprentice's fallen sword.

And in the middle of the street, a large grey ring now lazily rotated. Text on its surface read the same thing in intervals - **Unclaimed Area** , it said.

"So, if we were to finish this duel now…" Turquoise Duro began. "…The winner takes the Area!" Klein Apprentice finished.

They exchanged apprehensive glances. "I'll do it," Apprentice started to say, but Duro said flatly, "I won't."

"I won't do it," he continued as Klein Apprentice stared at him incredulously, "Not until you go over and get your sword back. It doesn't feel right like this." Several spectators around them gasped while others scratched their heads in incredulity. Even Klein Apprentice laughed and snorted.

"You're going to win, why bother?" he said derisively. "Not even the timer is in my favour. Any sane person wouldn't try to do shit."

"Wrong," Turquoise Duro said softly, "You're going to _lose_. If you do nothing, everyone here will remember that you gave up despite me giving you a chance." He walked over to where Klein Apprentice had dropped his sword, reached over and picked it up. It was surprisingly heavy and a few flicks was enough to shake off the water remaining on it, and he held it in front of Klein Apprentice. He grasped it warily, but stood up anyway.

 **Yes!** Both of them clicked. Both their Health Gauges rose and fell until they were both at around 20% Health. In other words, one good strike, a single combo… Turquoise Duro's mind raced, trying to predict what his opponent would do.

 **FIGHT!**

 _Absorb what is essentially your own!_ Cove Fighter's words echoed in his mind. Klein Apprentice raised his sword high and charged - but Turquoise Duro blurred into movement, turning around in a circle and bringing his leg up. Air _whooshed_ around his ear as he dodged Apprentice's strike with millimetres to spare - and his foot connected with Klein Apprentice's hip! He groaned with pain as he doubled over, but his sword was still swinging and in action.

Turquoise Duro punched straight forwards, armouring up to take the brunt of the incoming sword. True to form, Klein Apprentice's sword bounced harmlessly off his shoulder, and Duro's blue fist buried itself deeply in his shoulder. His Health Gauge dropped and turned red; one more hit, and it would be all over-

Klein Apprentice kicked Turquoise Duro in the groin. "Not this time, you asshole! I won't lose!" Turquoise Duro's eyes watered as he dropped to his knees, keenly aware of his Health dropping to the red zone as well. The spectators gathered were shouting all around, cursing and throwing their hands in the air.

Klein Apprentice raised his sword for the killing blow. "Your loss, idiot. Suffer for your bleeding heart."

" **Flick Rammer!** " Turquoise Duro growled. His Special Gauge, virtually full and unused, depleted as he put in every last bit of strength remaining into his hand, and he reached for his opponent; a phlanx of armour and muscle rocketed for Klein Apprentice, eyes wide with shock-

 _Slam!_ Klein Apprentice's Health Gauge dropped like a stone and hit zero.

 **[YOU WIN!]** His body dissolved into a shower of pixels, and Klein Apprentice reappeared a short distance away, having been made a spectator. That wasn't the only light show, however; the gray ring in the middle of the street began to spin rapidly. It glowed teal, and then brightened to cyan as it slowly came to a stop. A dialog box appeared in front of Turquoise Duro: **[You Have Captured: Shibuya Area 1!]**

"Is that it?" he said dryly. He sat down on a nearby cuboidal block, suddenly feeling quite tired from the constant battling. Klein Apprentice glared at him, and logged out without another word. Spectators began to talk among themselves too, no doubt excited by the prospect of capturing other Areas.

Cove Fighter wasn't among them. Gunsou would have really liked to talk to him after the duel, but then again, he had already said he had nothing more to teach him. He closed his eyes, trying to imagine what that stocky light blue boy would have said-

 _Research your own experience, absorb what is useful. Reject what is useless, add your own._ The words could have been stamped behind his eyelids for all that it mattered. Somehow, Gunsou found himself smiling fondly at this. Maybe he has grown after all.

Checking his menu, he shifted his attention to trying to recall what he was doing before the duel. "Oh no, tea with Misawa!" He exclaimed aloud, "Burst Out!" His duel avatar disappeared in a shower of pixels. Just behind him, a slender yellow avatar hung her head and lowered her hand, embarrassed she hadn't been in time to approach him.

"I'll ask him next time, then!" she clutched her lantern closer to herself, and logged out from the Accelerated World.

.

"Hey, you weren't playing a game by any chance, were you?" Misawa said suddenly. The boy sitting across from her blinked owlishly, but not before she saw his eyes widen with horror.

"O- What are you talking about?" he chuckled nervously, "I was just dozing off, you know? Like, I just woke up from a nap-"

"It's the middle of the day and you're holding an ice coffee," she pointed out. "And your eyes spaced out there for like, two seconds… Like someone I know." She finished, and leaned in with a knowing smile on her face. "You play Brain Burst, don't you?"

The boy's lips trembled, but he nodded. "You play it too? Wh- What's your name?" Misawa grinned and leaned back. "No, I don't play it - it's just that my _good friend_ who's supposed to come meet me plays it pretty often. Is it good?"

The boy nodded slowly and looked to the side. "Well, yeah, it is. I really like it when I teach others how to play. Even though all I do is just quote old people on the Global Net… It helps them, y'know?"

"What's your name, boy?" Misawa asked. "Matsumoto… Matsumoto Aoba." the boy said. "I'm a student from Umesato Middle School."

"That's pretty far from mine…" Misawa mused. What if she tried to keep this secret just like Gunsou did? How much longer would he take to come?

"Hey Matsumoto. Would you give me Brain Burst to play? I wanna learn for myself what's so interesting about it." she said.

A slight breeze blew from behind Aoba. It wasn't a problem of him being able to do it - Cove Fighter was one of the first thousand players - the 'first generation' as they were called by the other players - and they didn't have any restrictions on how many copies of Brain Burst they could distribute.

On the other hand, he had a sneaking suspicion that this girl had plans bigger than him, and he was very uncomfortable with the straightforwardness of her request. Still… It could be interesting. He had never taught a girl before - if he planned to realise his goal of being the bouncer of Accelerated World, he'd have to learn sooner or later, wasn't it?

Aoba rummaged in his pockets and pulled out an old cable he had. "Would you connect this, please?" he said. This girl whose name he still didn't know, with amazingly beautiful red hair, smiled sweetly and took it.

"Let's go."

.

 ** _I don't know a millimetre of Accel World!_ will be continued.**

 **As Brain Burst continues to spread among other children, interest in the Unlimited Neutral Field grows.**

 **More challenges await everyone, from the lowest newbie to the strongest few.**

 **Their story, their struggles, and their innermost secrets continue in Episode Two.**

 **fin.**

 **.**

Author's notes:

Wahoo. I'm done with this at last. Where is my sense of pride and accomplishment now? Where? Umm...

This has not been an easy journey. I've been writing this on and off - mostly off - for close to two years now. I'd be lying if I said I'm disappointed in myself. I still am disappointed in myself. The amount of rewriting and discarded plans behind the scenes, man, if you could see them...

But enough of that. I'm just happy to have kept to my goal - original, creative story that explores Brain Burst's real life applications and virtual life too. I took a fuckton of inspiration from other games too - Overwatch for Klein Apprentice's dungeon, Pacific Rim for that last fight - but hey, I liked it, I guess.

My gratitude goes to Optimura for his comments on various chapters as well as his character Cove Fighter. My appreciation goes to TheRunedEXP for his various comments on other platforms as well - I hope I haven't disappointed him with the lack of a lemon chapter. Hee.

If you really liked this story, have something you'd like to ask, or just plain wanna contribute an idea or two, please toss me a review or a PM - University is about to start soon and I will not begin planning for Episode Two (It's a working title, okay) just yet!

Bursting Out, mofos.

-Destination


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